Page 30 - The Edge Back to School 2022
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How Does Arizona Stack Up in Funding, Teacher Salaries, Class Sizes?

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        school funding in a state it’s depressing. But you  available. It is estimated that private schools will
        are doing some good things.”                            be able to increase their enrollment by 5% each
                                                                year, which would mean that there would only be
        For  example,  during  the  2022  session  the  2,959 open spots.
        Legislature  increased  education  spending  by
        $756.4  million,  added  $100  million  for  special
        education,  and  appropriated  an  additional  $50
        million for at-risk students.


        Arizona appropriated $200 million in funding for
        school facilities. “Nationally we don’t see enough
        money for facility funding,” he said.


        Griffith  painted  an  ominous  picture  for  public
        schools  regarding  the  ESA  program,  which  pay
        parents  about  $7,000  a  year  to  send  their  child
        to a private school or to home-school the child.
        A bill passed this year opened the program to all
        1.1 million public school students, plus students
        already attending private schools, Griffith said.

        There  are  similar  ESA  program  around  the
        country,  but  Griffith  emphasized:  “The Arizona
        ESA program is the most liberal.”


        The Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimates
        that 5% of parents will take advantage of an ESA
        in  the  coming  school  year,  increasing  to  10%
        in  2024  and  20%  in  2025.  If  that  happens,  the
        financial cost will rise from $33 million in 2023
        to $125 million in 2025, he said. If the numbers  Griffith  s  estimated  that  if  2,959  students
        increase even more, to 75% of parents in 2025,  transferred to private schools the financial impact
        the  cost  would  soar  to  nearly  $326  million,  he  to  public  schools  in  fiscal  year  2023  would  be
        estimated.                                              $19 million. The impact would increase to $232
                                                                million  if  all  36,078  students  were  able  to  find
        JLBC  estimates  that  36,078  of  public-school  seats.
        students could move to private schools because of
        this program, but there are only about 3,000 seats  “JLBC  said  there  will  be  an  impact  on  public
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        30                                                                      THE EDGE   BACK TO SCHOOL 2022
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