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Now is a good time to draft a Plan B (and a Plan C)
The ongoing K-12 inflation litigation in Cave Creek v. Ducey could send the state’s fiscal house hurtling toward an abyss, but an upcoming lawsuit could make that financial abyss a bottomless mess.
Who, exactly, will speak for Arizona?
A turf war is brewing among policymakers even before Arizona has officially responded to the EPA’s proposed carbon rule. Corp commissioners met yesterday to discuss potential legislation to allow DEQ to draft a state compliance plan.
On top of Jim Waring’s wishlist: Jones versus Stanton
Phoenix Vice Mayor Jim Waring confirmed to our reporter yesterday that he spoke with Christine Jones a few months ago about the possibility of her running for mayor, but he wouldn’t characterize it as recruitment or call it “pressure.”
Sources: Jones is eyeing the Phoenix mayor’s race
Christine Jones’ name has been floating around as a possible candidate for Phoenix mayor, and rumors abound that she’s commissioned a poll on the race.
Can we at least witness the documents’ destruction?
The parties in Cave Creek v. Ducey put the terms of their settlement talks into writing Friday, and from here on out, everything will be done in secret.
Don’t call us poor, we’re average!
Arizona Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Glenn Hamer took exception to Douglas’ characterization of Arizona public schools as “poor” in her State of Education speech this week, calling it “disturbing” and “irresponsible.”
Tax watchdogs want to end schools’ desegregation tax
The influential Arizona Tax Research Association is taking aim at schools’ ability to levy a tax whose revenues go toward remedying alleged or proven racial discrimination.
The meaning of shrewd
Many have criticized Ducey for presuming in his first budget plan that the state does not have to pay schools inflation funding while promising a structurally balanced budget by FY17. But a longtime Capitol observer said the governor’s strategy is politically shrewd – and completely understandable.
For every inaction, there’s a ballot measure reaction
Lawmakers are unlikely to seriously consider legalizing recreational marijuana use, but a huge effort is underway to put the question on the 2016 ballot. The Marijuana Policy Project is looking for two people to run its initiative to allow all adults to legally smoke pot in Arizona.
K-12 inflation $$$ a distant murmur in Ducey’s budget
In his inauguration speech, Ducey warned that his budget won’t meet general approval among special interests, and his budget delivers on that promise. The new governor proposes a $9.09 billion budget for FY16, and aims to structurally balance the books by FY17.
If only it’s that simple
A cursory look at the spending priorities of school districts and charters adds interesting context to the debate on Ducey’s Classrooms First Initiative, a proposal to put more money into the classrooms.
Auditor: Education money doesn’t go into a black hole
When Ducey’s “Classrooms First Initiative” 11-member council starts “scrubbing” the funding formulas to find new ways to get more money into the classrooms, the first thing it will find is that Arizona’s percentage of total spending on building and campus operations, food service, counselors, nurses, librarians and other support services is way above the national average.
