By Howard Fischer | AZ Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Only 52.1 cents of every education dollar reaches the classroom
- Arizona’s instructional spending is the lowest in two decades
- Arizona’s per-student spending is $4,503 less than the national average
The percentage of education dollars spent in Arizona classrooms has slipped once again.
New figures from the Auditor General’s Office show that just 52.1 cents of every dollar spent during the last school year was used for instruction. That mainly includes the salaries and benefits of teachers, aides, substitutes as well as general instruction supplies, field trips and athletics.
It is the lowest rate since the report’s inception following last year’s rate of 52.6 cents per dollar.
Significantly, the new figure comes amid a Republican push to require, via ballot initiative and voter approval, that schools increase the rate to 60 cents.
