Education
Education
Education and workforce training are among the strongest long-term investments that Arizona can make in its people.
Education and workforce training are critical to lifting Arizonans out of poverty. From preschool, to K-12, to college and adult learning programs, investing in public education has the potential to increase socioeconomic mobility and address growing inequality. At the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, we promote affordable, quality, and equitable funding for all learners. We advocate that investing in people through education propels Arizona’s economy forward with a skilled and diverse workforce to attract, grow, and retain industries and jobs.
School Vouchers Lack Necessary Transparency and Accountability
This post is part of a series including Arizona School Vouchers, Explained, School Voucher Costs Have Risen Much Faster Than K-12 Funding Increases, and School Vouchers Lack Necessary Transparency and Accountability. ESA…
School Voucher Costs Have Risen Much Faster Than K-12 Funding Increases
This post is part of a series including Arizona School Vouchers, Explained, School Voucher Costs Have Risen Much Faster Than K-12 Funding Increases, and School Vouchers Lack Necessary Transparency and Accountability. In recent…
Arizona School Vouchers, Explained
This post is part of a series including Arizona School Vouchers, Explained, School Voucher Costs Have Risen Much Faster Than K-12 Funding Increases, and School Vouchers Lack Necessary Transparency and Accountability. For…
The Clock is Ticking – AZ Students Need a Permanent Fix to The School Spending Limit
Just as they did in 2023, this year’s legislature preemptively lifted the school spending limit for the 2024 – 2025 academic year, far ahead of the March 1, 2025, deadline. But the clock continues to tick—now toward…
Governor Ducey needs to act now to prevent $1.4 billion cut to Arizona’s school districts
The school spending cap known as the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL) is once again threatening the new investments the legislature and governor made to K-12 education. Arizona’s school districts will be forced to cut…
The importance of school's spending limit
Arizona’s public school districts will be required to cut their budgets by $1.3 billion if the legislature does not act by March 1, 2023 to lift the state constitution’s school spending limitation. If that sounds familiar,…
2022 Legislative Session & Budget Recap
Last week, the Arizona Legislature passed a budget and concluded a long and unpredictable 2022 session. This year, politicians at the State Capitol had a historic opportunity to use a massive surplus of resources to make…
Three Strikers and You're Out
It’s that time of year when we see “Strike Everything” amendments (otherwise known as “strikers”) at the state legislature – taking a bill that is still “alive,” gutting its original language, and replacing…
“Repeal and replace” tax scheme erases Prop. 307 and the voice of Arizona voters
Last year, the Arizona Legislature and Governor Doug Ducey enacted a huge tax cut for the wealthiest households in the state. In so doing, they squandered a historic opportunity to direct massive surpluses towards communities…
School Vouchers: A Game-Changer for Whom?
Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), also known as school vouchers, were originally designed to support students living with disabilities, but over the last decade, Arizona legislators have expanded eligibility…
The better the bill, the harder it falls
This year, state lawmakers in Arizona introduced nearly 1700 pieces of legislation. Committee chairs, using their power through rules and deadlines, select which bills receive a hearing for consideration. Every year many…
Arizona’s Public Schools Face $1.1 Billion in Cuts this March if Legislature Does Not Override K-12 Spending Cap
Arizona’s district schools will cut their budgets for the current school year by $1.1 billion if the legislature doesn’t act by March 1, 2022, to override the state constitution’s school spending limitation. In 1980,…
Opportunity for tuition equity moves to Arizona voters
Arizonans want real solutions, and they want an immigration system that works and creates opportunities for all Arizonans to fully participate in the economy. SCR 1044 establishes an equal pathway for young adults, regardless…
What did the Arizona legislature miss this year?
This year, state lawmakers in Arizona introduced more than 1,800 pieces of legislation. Committee chairs, using their power through rules and deadlines, select which bills receive a hearing for consideration. Every year…
Arizona's cuts to higher education threaten access and equity
No state has cut more funding from higher education since 2008 than Arizona High-quality, affordable, and accessible public higher education is critical to building a prosperous and robust state economy, where the benefits…
SB 1452 – Diverting more state dollars to private schools at the expense of public school students
Despite the fact that Arizona voters resoundingly rejected a massive expansion of school vouchers in 2018, several voucher bills have been introduced this session. One of those bills is SB 1452. SB1452 not only extends eligibility…
Arizona Continues to Fall Behind in K-12 Education Funding – June 2020
Investing in Arizona’s public schools is an investment in Arizona’s future. Providing our public schools with the resources they need to hire and retain quality teachers, reduce class sizes, and provide students with…
More Than Two Decades of Underfunding Arizona Public School Facilities Hurts Low-Income and Rural Communities the Most
Are the public schools in your neighborhood properly designed to keep students safe and secure? Does the air conditioning system work adequately enough for students to learn in comfortable classrooms on sweltering Arizona…
Corporate Tax Credit for Private Schools Needs a Legislative Fix
(PHOENIX, AZ) – Arizona’s corporate tax credit for private school tuition scholarships is on pace to double every four years and wipe out all of Arizona’s corporate income tax revenue unless state lawmakers take action…
Lessons From the Past Promises for Public School Funding
In 1998, with great fanfare, Governor Jane Hull signed Students’ FIRST legislation. After four years of a lawsuit and court orders, this bill eliminated local property taxes as the main revenue stream for new school construction…
