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Long-term education goals won’t be reached in one budget cycle
During the 2008 economic crisis, some Arizonans lost their jobs or their homes, or both. With revenues down, the state budget was drastically cut, and education funding took a beating.
Ducey’s $10.1B spending plan proposes $250M increase for K-12
Gov. Doug Ducey wants the state to add about $250 million in new spending to K-12 education, financed by new cuts and transfers among agencies and rehiring tax auditors who he previously laid off.
Gilbert Davidson: From potholes and loose dogs to conducting beautiful music
Gilbert Davidson, the new chief operating officer for Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration, still hasn’t decorated his office on the Ninth Floor, but he has already challenged state agencies to find ways to cut money from their budgets.
22,000 Arizona children could lose health care
The federal budget year expired Sept. 30 without lawmakers taking action to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program for the new year. States use those dollars to provide care for about nine million children of the working poor, including 22,389 at last count in Arizona.
Budget process brings more discord among utility regulators
The idea of budgeting additional money for newly created committees, which the commission did not have before, led Commissioner Bob Burns to dissent from the commission’s budget request, a rare move meant to register his discontent with the program.
Agencies make case for new spending, but most requests likely doomed
Gov. Doug Ducey is looking for good policies and savings. But requests for money from the general fund, the state’s all-purpose kitty, are tougher to justify than those that come from other sources, like grants and fees.
Corrections asks for more money to help prisoners re-enter society
The Arizona Department of Corrections wants 102 new positions and more than $13 million to fuel re-entry and recidivism reduction programs, but prisoner rights advocates aren’t convinced the request signals a turn in the department’s philosophy.
School facilities agency accepts auditors’ recommendations
Arizona's state board responsible for helping school districts keep their facilities up to par says it'll heed state auditors' recommendations for improvements in its own operations.
Arizona public schools find ways to adapt to funding cuts
Arizona consistently ranks among the lowest in the nation for its per-student funding, a fact often cited by advocates hoping for a better financial picture for the state’s schools. But, as funding levels continue to lag years after the Great Recession, schools find ways to make do.
Wrap up with Rebecca Rios
In her first year as House Democratic leader, Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, a longtime lawmaker, was hopeful that her caucus could take a rare vote in favor of a GOP-backed budget. But when the budget didn’t go far enough toward investing in Arizona’s teachers, House Democrats held true to their beliefs and their prom-ises, and voted against the budget package.
Wrap up with J.D. Mesnard
In his first year as speaker of the House, J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, managed to get all 35 of his chamber’s Republicans to agree to support the state budget, though two from his caucus still balked at Gov. Doug Ducey’s university bonding proposal.
Governor gets nearly all he wanted in 2017 legislative session
The governor accomplished nearly all of his legislative goals this session, from various steps related to education to a measure that restores benefits to some needy families.
