Public Comment

Arizona Proposition 320 would require districts with at least 7,500 students, or districts operating a school in a county with at least 500,000 residents, to devote at least 60% of operational spending to direct instructional expenses. The Auditor General would define the relevant spending categories. Districts below the threshold would have to increase their instructional share by at least half a percentage point per year beginning in fiscal 2027–28 until compliant. Continued noncompliance could reduce Classroom Site Fund allocations in 25% increments, subject to limited waivers. The debate is whether a statewide spending ratio improves classroom priorities or oversimplifies legitimate district costs. Families want school dollars reaching students, but percentages can hide real differences among districts. A large district with transportation, security, special programs, or aging buildings may have costs that do not fit neatly under “instruction” even when they support learning.

Should Arizona require large and urban school districts to put at least 60% of operational spending into direct instruction?

Overall results

1
57% support
7

A statewide target may be useful, but cutting education funding when a district misses it can make compliance harder rather than easier.

7

Improvement plans and public reporting can distinguish a district moving toward the goal from one simply ignoring it.

2
55% support · excluded by 5%
7

Families care whether classrooms work, not whether an accountant places a counselor, librarian, bus driver, or technology expense on one side of a percentage calculation.

7

Spending categories are inputs, not educational outcomes; graduation, literacy, attendance, staffing stability, and learning growth may reveal more about whether money is used well.

3
48% support · excluded by 9%
7

Local boards face different geography, enrollment, labor markets, and facility costs and should not have their operating budgets dictated by one statewide ratio.

4
39% support · excluded by 15%
7

A common definition and annual reporting can make district spending patterns easier for taxpayers to compare.

7

A clear floor creates pressure to protect classroom spending when administrative and other operating costs grow.

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