Phoenix Republican lawmaker Steve Kaiser is looking for a new and quicker way to penalize school boards that ignore state laws.
The representative’s bill would require the state attorney general to investigate allegations that a district may have broken a state law. From there, the attorney general could decide if there was a policy broken or send it to the state Supreme Court to review.
If the court finds a district violated a law, 10% of classroom site funds could be withheld. Most site funds are earmarked for teacher pay.
"I don't have any ill will toward school districts. But I do want people to follow state law. And if you're not going to follow state law there should be some kind of a repercussion other than me hiring a lawyer," Kaiser says.
He says he was motivated to introduce the measure because school boards began requiring masks after the Legislature tried to ban face covering mandates in schools. Even though that law ultimately was blocked, he argues districts initially should have obeyed once the law was approved.
