State funding for Arizona’s K-12 public schools remains below pre-recession levels. That’s according to a report by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released today.
The report shows Arizona cut more than any other state through 2015, and new spending in 2016 has not made up for the cuts.
Joining us now is Mike Leachman, director of State Fiscal Research for the Center and one of the authors on this report.
We also reached out to Gov. Doug Ducey’s office. Spokesman Daniel Scarpinato says the state is “making progress on K-12 spending and K-12 education but more definitely needs to be done.”
Scarpinato says there are “capital needs” and “needs for teachers” to look at going forward, but also says there are many funding streams, not just Prop 123, the state land trust distribution system approved by voters last year as a settlement to a years-long lawsuit.
And Scarpinato says Ducey does plan to propose spending more money on K-12 education in his budget proposal, which will be released in January.
