Douglas wants to use rainy-day fund for 5 percent teacher pay raise

Regional News

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Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas presented a $680 million wish list of education spending Tuesday.

Douglas, who developed her proposals from her statewide “Listening Tour,” wants to spend the money on teacher pay raises as well as supplementing rural schools, which are short on teachers and long on unpaved roads that damage school buses. She also hopes to restore money for upkeep on existing school buildings and to build new ones.

Douglas’ written plan, dubbed “Arizona Kids Can’t Wait,” offers only the $460 million rainy-day fund and general fund allocations for grants as sources of money for her proposals.

She said at a press conference the state could also work to get the federal government to hand over land to the state and utilize revenues that are coming in higher than projected.

“I don’t appropriate money,” Douglas said. “I’m talking about what our state needs to appropriately educate our children.”

Douglas said she wants to work with Gov. Doug Ducey, lawmakers, and education stakeholders to make as many of her proposals as possible a reality.