Gov. Doug Ducey signed a new Arizona education budget plan into law on Thursday morning. The plan is expected to give Arizona teachers a 20 percent raise pay raise over the course of the next three years.
The funding deal will also include an increase in flexible dollars to Arizona schools for support staff, textbooks, technology and infrastructure.
"This plan not only provides our teachers with a 20 percent increase in pay by school year 2020, it also provides millions in flexible dollars to improve our public education system. I’ve had the honor of hearing directly from Arizona teachers, over these last several weeks in particular. It’s their input that has shaped and improved this plan. We will never check the box on public education, but this is one big, positive step in the right direction for our teachers and their students,” said Governor Ducey.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN PLAN?
Education
$644.1 million for a 20% increase in teacher pay school year 2020; these raises will be ongoing, protected in the base of the budget and inflated
• $304.9 million for 10% teacher pay raise in FY 2018/FY 2019 (school year 2018)
• $164.7 million for 5% teacher pay raise in FY 2020 (school year 2019)
• $174.5 million for 5% teacher pay raise in FY 2021 (school year 2020)
$371 million to fully restore recession-era cuts to Additional District/Charter Assistance, phased-in over five years
• $100 million in FY 2019
• $168 million in FY 2020
• $236 million in FY 2021
• $303 million in FY 2022
• $371 million in FY 2023
$86 million in cash funding for the construction of new schools (three in Chandler, one in Tolleson Unified, one in Queen Creek)
$53 million for K-12 school building renewal, the highest level of funding since 2007
$27 million in capital funding for Arizona’s universities: ASU, NAU, and UofA
$8 million for resident student funding at Arizona’s universities
$5.3 million for ADE’s Education Learning and Accountability System
$3 million (plus $7 million in federal dollars) for behavioral and mental health specialists to enhance school safety
$2 million for the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind to enhance the early childhood learning program
$2 million for ASU’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership and UofA’s Center for the Philosophy of Freedom
$1.8 million to fully fund the state formula for career and technical education (JTEDs)
$1 million to create a computer science professional development program
