Despite meeting several times, legislative leaders and the governor have not come to any agreements on a plan to fund English language learning programs in public schools to comply with a federal court ruling.
“We’re meeting, but I think we’re still far apart,” Governor Napolitano told reporters at a Feb. 15 press conference. “It’s very thorny. We have started from such disparate points that getting to consensus has been extraordinarily difficult.”
Republican leaders conceded as much, saying the two sides differ on such issues as whether or not federal funding can be used to supplant state funding and the inclusion of a private school tax credit program for businesses and individuals.
In 2000, a federal court ruled in Flores v. State of Arizona that funding for English programs was inadequate and violated federal civil rights law.
Last May, Ms. Napolitano vetoed a Republican-backed plan to revamp how the programs were funded. In December, the court said the state would be fined if it didn’t have a plan in place by Jan. 24. The governor vetoed two more Flores bills before the deadline, saying they wouldn’t meet the court’s standard.
The fines
Fines of $500,000 per day began accruing Jan. 25. As of Feb. 17, the state had been fined $12 million.