State lawmakers are scheduled to debate, and then vote on, the new state budget later today.
The package of bills passed through House and Senate committees on Wednesday. One of the key issues has been education — specifically pay raises for teachers.
In his proposal, Gov. Doug Ducey called for a 0.4 percent increase each year for the next five years.
Legislative Republicans have bumped that up to a 1 percent raise this year and next.
Legislative Democrats are calling for a 4 percent increase.
With me to crunch the numbers is Erin Hart. She’s Chief Operating Officer for the education advocacy group Expect More Arizona; she’s also a member of the state Education Department’s Educator Retention and Recruitment Task Force.
