Arizona public schools concerned over possible $1.2 billion in budget cuts

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Arizona public schools face budget cuts of $1.2 billion dollars unless the state Legislature lifts the school spending cap by the end of the month.

In the past, when districts hit the decades-old aggregate expenditure limit, lawmakers voted to override it which hasn’t happened this school year.

“That might mean cuts to labor forces meaning that our staff and teachers will get cut. Mind you we already have a severe teacher and staff shortage at this point,” said Margaret Cheney, the president of the Tucson Education Association.

The Sunnyside School District says it will lose more than $16 million dollars in funding.

“Basically, we’d have to cut two months worth of operation from our budget starting in March. Look at our options. Eighty-five percent of our budget is salary and benefits. Do we ask our people to work for free for the last few months of the year?” said Hector Encinas, the CFO for Sunnyside Schools.

He said he has sympathy for districts larger than his who face an even greater loss.

“Look at Mesa Unified School District up in the Phoenix area, they’d have to cut $78 million, or TUSD with $58 million, Marana with about $15 million, Amphi with $14 million,” he said. “It’s going to be very, very hard to do.”

Cheney believes the Legislature is trying to prevent Prop 208, an income tax rate surcharge on high-earners, from going into effect by not lifting the spending cap limit.

“This is their way of saying no to 208 even though the voters passed it overwhelmingly,” she said.

The Legislature has until March 1 to override the spending cap. A democrat from Chandler has introduced a bill to eliminate the cap all together.

Gov. Doug Ducey did not mention the cap in his last month’s state of the state address.

In a statement, Arizona Superintendent Kathy Hoffman said: “Legislative leaders have less than one month to prevent Arizona’s school districts from facing existential budget cuts. With out a fix to the school funding limit, schools will undoubtedly lay off educators, cut programs, and in the worst cases close their doors. I am tired of legislative leaders playing political games with public schools, educators and students. There are solutions already introduced as bills thanks to Representative Jennifer Pawlik and Senator Christine Marsh -- I urge the majority party to act immediately and allow our schools to get on with serving their students and families.”

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