GOP leaders in the House and Senate introduced a $12.8 billion spending plan Monday afternoon with high hopes of passing it by Wednesday — but finding the votes to pass it will prove difficult.

The budget allocates $1 million each to the University of Arizona and Arizona State University for their so-called “freedom schools,” which teach conservative values and were started with high-dollar donations from foundations run by the Koch brothers.

Arizona Republican legislators have a habit of pushing ideas that make their own lives easier, but harder for voters to have their voices heard.

More than 1,300 teaching positions are still unfilled four weeks into the school year according to a new report.

Those of us who have been in the policy mix a long time noticed something different this year. For the first time since I can remember, advocates for public K-12 education openly opposed higher education funding.

The budget I signed this week makes significant new investments in K-12 education, with a focus on teacher salaries, making our best schools available to more students and providing added resources in low-income areas to help close the achievement gap.

Gov. Doug Ducey inked his approval Friday to a nearly $9.82 billion spending plan for the new budget year that begins July 1.

The Arizona House approved the most contentious part of a $9.8 billion state budget package this evening, clearing the way for approval of the package in that chamber.

Lawmakers could face a lawsuit from the universities if the proposal to permit them to issue bonds of up to $1 billion falls flat, the head of the Arizona Board of Regents hinted.

The Arizona Board of Regents on March 27 heard from students who support the tuition proposals released by Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University, as well as from critics who claimed that consultation with students was lacking.