Source: Education Dive
Leaders of the Invest in Education campaign delivered more than 270,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office last week in a move that will likely place the proposal increasing funding for public schools by $690 million before the voters in November. The initiative comes after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a budget in May in response to a #RedForEd walkout that already includes $400 million in additional funding for Arizona schools — the most significant amount of education spending in recent Arizona history. If the Invest in Education Act qualifies for the ballot and taxpayers approve it, proponents say that 60% of the money will go for raises to teachers and other employment-related expenses, while the other 40% will go toward increases for support staff members, class-size reduction, dropout prevention programs, and full-day kindergarten. However, critics argue that the act would do lasting harm to the state’s economy and would not really solve the problems in the long run.