By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Capitol Times
Gov. Doug Ducey called the Legislature into special session Wednesday evening to approve a settlement that will bring an end to five years of litigation over K-12 school funding by putting an additional $3.5 billion into Arizona’s education budget over the next 10 years.
The deal arranged by the Governor’s Office, Republican legislative leaders and the K-12 groups that sued the state would use increased distribution’s from the state’s land trust fund, along with extra money from the general fund, to make up for annual inflation payments the state has withheld for years. A trial court ruled last year that the state owed schools an additional $336 million for the inflation payments, but the state is appealing the ruling.
