While Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman was coming before the Senate Education Committee to tell them it was vital to suspend and/or repeal the State Expenditure Spending Cap on traditional public schools, State House Speaker Russell Bowers was telling Sunday Square Off’s Brahm Resnik that school districts have no reason to worry about losing access to the monies already in their bank accounts.
BREAKING Republican legislative leaders ask AZ Supreme Court to block #Prop208 tax hike now, to clear way for lifting of spending cap on schools. Speaker Rusty Bowers says schools have nothing to worry about. "We're gonna get there. Watch me."
COURT BRIEF: https://t.co/KUdpwZADLt pic.twitter.com/LcBxjk54tZ— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) February 9, 2022
The Arizona House Speaker said that he and his Republican colleagues were still holding out for a ruling from Superior Court Judge John Hannah on the fate of Proposition 208 (Invest in Ed) and whether the Expenditure cap applies to it.
Unfortunately, Judge Hannah has indicated that he is in hurry to issue a ruling according to the Republican timetable. He has until March 10, 2022 and commented to Mary Jo Pitzel in an article to AZ Central that:
“I get the decision out when I get it out. I hope the policymakers can figure out how to work around what I’m doing. My point is to give the case due consideration and decide it as best I can.”
Bowers told Resnik that the Republicans have asked the Arizona Supreme Court to “take the case (Invest in Ed) back and get it done.”
He also said that they had “legislation ready” to address the spending cap issue although he did not tell Resnik the particulars of that proposal.
Furthermore, he said that while Republicans “wanted to make sure there was a decoupling between 208 and the aggregate spending limit,” they would “plow ahead and get it (presumably suspending the cap) done.”
Resnik followed up and asked if they needed an answer on Proposition 208 before lifting the cap, Bowers said “that’s what we want and if we can’t get it, then we’ll move.”
Asked how real the financial risk is to schools, the House speaker said “none…there’s no risk to any…We’re gonna get there. Watch me.”
Responding to the Speakers comments to Resnik, Superintendent Hoffman commented:
“Republicans in the legislature are so caught up trying to kill Prop 208 that they’re willing to let this unrelated issue stop them from fixing this issue in a timely manner. If they say they can fix it by March 1st, then why not do it now?”
The Superintendent is right.
If Bowers has the votes in the House to pass a suspension of the spending cap, he should do it now and spare children, families, teachers, and educational staff the anguish and heartache of wondering whether schools will be open after spring break and whether educators can help put food on the table for the rest of the school year.
The Senate, instead of wasting time voting for voucher expansion programs (SB1657) that will get rejected again by the voters like it was in 2018, should stop dragging their feet and vote to lift the cap as well.
Educational stakeholders do not deserve the unnecessary worry and stress with not knowing what is going to happen to schools. Prolonging their agony to wait for a court ruling or to attempt to drive a legislative diktat on tax cuts or other fringe educational measures is cruel and disgusting.
Suspend the spending cap NOW.
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