Suchergebnisse

The FY2019 budget saw the country's largest movement of teachers descend on the state capital and force Governor Doug Ducey to scramble to save his re-election prospects. Gradually growing through social media, the #RedforEd movement culminated with 50,000 teachers and supporters walking out of classrooms and descending onto the Capitol grounds. Gov. Ducey deftly rose to the occasion from his initial one percent raise to a 20 percent raise by FY2021 before the walkout commenced, moving the pressure to legislators to seal the deal, which they did on May 3, 2018. Stronger revenue growth than prior years enabled the governor and Legislature to find the necessary funds.

The FY2018 Arizona budget had the most discretionary dollars in years with the bulk of it directedtoward K-12 education. "Structural balance" was maintained, demonstrating a new normalin Arizona budgeting. Expenditure growth was less than inflation and population growth. Anotherlawsuit was filed with respect to inadequate state investment in school facilities. A more carefulanalysis finds the state will expend only $3 for every $4 it spent in FY2007 adjusted forpopulation growth and inflation. Rollovers continue to take 10 percent of the budget, eventhough the expansion is in its eighth year. Consequently, structural balance hides a great manyfundamental weaknesses.

Arizona's Fiscal Year 2015 budget showed modest revenue improvements, but the Joint Legislative Budget committee's three-year forecast continues to show an overall weak budget picture moving forward and a structural deficit, after one-time monies are removed. State mandated and politically forced spending formed the basis of growth areas related to child abuse and neglect as well as the inflation-funding formula for K-12 education. Medicaid expansion, narrowly passed in 2013, seems to have made possible the resolution of a 30-year lawsuit regarding underserving mentally ill.

While Arizona's Fiscal Year 2014 budget itself offered modest changes from 2012-2013, two budget policy areas became the battleground. With the re-election of President Barack Obama in 2012, the biggest lingering question in the Republican-dominated state government was what would happen with Medicaid expansion. Governor Jan Brewer chose the pragmatic path of seeking Medicaid expansion and eventually had to rely on Democrats for the votes to add it to the budget over leadership objections in both the State House and Senate. Meanwhile, efforts to reform Arizona's complex sales tax system ran into opposition from cities and towns and ultimately a compromise became law.