To hear Kris Mayes explain it, the super-heated debate over the use of solar energy and other renewable resources to help power the state has simmered down.

Lawmakers and representatives from the education community clashed over funding for Arizona’s public education during a forum Oct. 20 at a downtown restaurant.

Rep. Rich Crandall, a Mesa Republican, said he was taking the position as a “realist” and warned that cuts to education are inevitable next year given the size of the state’s budget deficit.