by David Safier
The courts ruled that the legislature stiffed Arizona schools by not adjusting the school budget for inflation as they were required to do under the voter approved Prop 301 in 2000. That meant the legislature had to add $82 million to the school allotment to cover inflation this year. A lot of money? Not really. It amounts to about $60 per student. And really, it should have been $250 million to cover all the years the lege stiffed the schools, meaning Republicans could still get a warm feeling, knowing they cheated Arizona's kids out of $168 million that should have gone to their education. Heh heh heh.
Apparently this isn't a done deal. The state Supreme Court is hearing arguments presented by the state that it doesn't have to pay up, even the $82 million out of the $250 million owed. The Republicans will be damned if they're going to give those kids, and those damn union teachers, and those government schools, a penny more than they have to. Charters may take it on the chin a bit as well, but hey, they can probably figure out how to make that right next session.