PHOENIX – Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas today unveiled a proposal to permanently extend and expand Proposition 301 monies to a full 1 percent, which if supported by voters would result in an immediate 11 percent raise for teachers and $100 million for school facilities.
“My proposal would generate $400 million annually for teacher salaries and school buildings,” Douglas stated. “By setting aside the majority of this funding for teacher salaries, we will provide close to an 11 percent raise for teachers in the first year, which means nearly $5,000 more in take-home pay. Using the remaining funding for school facilities can help address another looming crisis, which is the depreciation of our school buildings and infrastructure.”
Thursday’s announcement was shared in Douglas’ presentation to the Arizona Business Education Coalition (ABEC), a group of Arizona business and education leaders committed to helping develop effective public education policy. Her announcement comes on the cusp of the Superintendent’s next annual statewide We Are Listening Tour, which is where these two critical issues were repeatedly brought to her attention.
“Only an overarching vision and decisive action will allow us to solve our current education crises, the first of which is that teachers need to be paid more,” Douglas shared with the ABEC audience. “I thank the Governor and Legislature for making teacher pay an important part of their budget discussions this session, and I look forward to working with them to take this next step once a budget is finalized.”
Douglas’ proposal would dedicate $300 million per year to teacher salaries and $100 million per year to school capital repairs in the first two years. In years three and beyond, the plan calls for $350 million per year dedicated to teacher salaries and sets aside $50 million per year for school capital.
Douglas also expressed support for the restructuring of current Proposition 301 funding to allocate even more money for teacher salaries.
For more information and updates about the proposal, visit www.azed.gov.
