Page 39 - The Edge - Back to School 2017

CONFUSION ABOUNDS operating in the next school year. That doesn’t mean the
Legislature shouldn’t do new things, but first year is always
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38 difficult,” said Essigs, who has worked in school finance for

still like guidance from the Department of Education on several decades.
where the money can go. Essigs said there are still questions over what districts have
Lee, who heads Paradise Valley Unified School District, to do with the money and what they may do with the money
has 12 schools that could receive the additional funding, based on the budget language. And the law says the schools
based on JLBC’s list. The district put the money in its budget, have to be making “steady improvement” in order to continue
but hasn’t allocated it to any specific areas yet. getting funding after three years, but doesn’t specifically say
Lee said the idea of performance pay for teachers in what that entails, Essigs said.
some of his schools instead of the whole district could Handling the timing of payments shouldn’t be tough for
hinder his ability to keep or hire teachers in the ones that most districts, said Chris Kotterman, head of governmental
don’t get the added funding. He said he wants to hear how relations for the Arizona School Boards Association. It’s
other districts will use the funding and get some guidance essentially a cash flow management issue, and schools are
on some of the parts of the law that he considers open to good at managing cash flow, he said.
interpretation. But these kinds of questions, over timing of payments and
The confusion over how to spend the money and how where funds can be used, come up when special programs are
to allow for it in school budgets isn’t uncommon for new created to target certain districts instead of the school system
programs, said Chuck Essigs, director of government relations as a whole, Kotterman said.
for the Arizona Association of School Business Officials. “As a general rule, ASBA would advocate for schools to be
“Any new legislation that passes, like the results-based funded in a way that provides the greatest predictability and
funding, is hard for districts to get in place and get them equity across the board,” he said.

HELPING SCHOOLS

FIND GREEN

CLIMATEC PROVIDES FUNDING SOLUTIONS
AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR:

Energy conservation
Facility modernization
Improved classroom environment
Indoor air quality
Renewable energy

GIVE US A CALL FOR A FREE
ENERGY ASSESSMENT

PHOENIX | TUCSON | FLAGSTAFF
602.906.4161 | CLIMATEC.COM

39