The will of taxpayers is being evoked by both sides in the debate over a bill that would require school districts to sell property to charter or private schools when they are the highest bidders.

The Arizona Association of School Business Officials may be out, but the lawsuit over school capital funding needs marches on.

Looking for a scapegoat a year ago, Gov. Doug Ducey accused school officials for the woes of the Arizona teacher, whose average salary is among the lowest in the nation. Nearly a year later, the governor sounds like a changed man.

Given the seriousness with which the AASBO Board of Directors took our recent action to withdraw as a plaintiff in the capital funding lawsuit, we felt it was important to take this opportunity to reiterate some facts and re-emphasize our position with regard to the lawsuit.

The board of the Arizona Association of School Business voted to withdraw as a plaintiff in the case asking a judge to rule that the state is not meeting its constitutional obligations to properly fund school construction.

Gov. Doug Ducey’s signature results-based funding plan for excelling schools still has districts questioning when they will receive money and how exactly it must be spent.

After working together to pump $3.5 billion over a decade into the public education system, the business and education communities find themselves once more at odds following the latest actions at the Arizona Legislature.

School officials say they won’t count on ongoing funding to boost teacher pay until they see it. So instead of increasing teachers’ base salaries, some schools are preparing to make a lump sum payment to teachers in the amount of 1 percent of their salaries.

Gov. Doug Ducey’s Classrooms First Council, which is charged with overhauling the formulas used to fund public schools, ended its grand unveiling of its finding with more questions than answers. But its members did agree on several broad priorities, including somehow finding a way to equalize the funding formulas between district and charter schools.

After efforts to reach a settlement in the K-12 inflation funding lawsuit faltered this month, both sides in the case see it going all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court. But as the case drags on, the fiscal risks mount for the state.