Republican lawmakers are working to line up the votes for a budget deal that would give teachers a higher raise than what was initially offered by Gov. Doug Ducey in January.
The proposed package would give teachers an across-the-board raise of 1 percent this coming year, with another 1 percent hike over the next two years. That gets to the same 2 percent raise the governor had offered, but phased in over five years.
Some Republican lawmakers said Ducey’s proposed 0.4 percent raise didn’t go over well among the GOP caucus. They wanted a round number.
Funding the full percent increase for the coming fiscal year would add another $20 million on top of what Ducey had budgeted for, and such an expense would likely mean some of the governor’s other education priorities may not get funded.