Prop 123 does not guarantee teacher raises
May 20, 2016, 4:20 PM
In this Aug. 13, 2014 photograph, assistant teacher Patricia Bowman, left, sorts papers while kindergarten teacher Ashley Williams reads to her class at Enterprise Attendance Center near Brookhaven, Miss. While teaching assistants were once mandatory in grades K-3 in all Mississippi public schools, they’re becoming increasingly rare above kindergarten, as schools eliminate assistants because of state underfunding. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Arizona teachers may not get a raise under Prop 123.
Supporters like Governor Doug Ducey said the extra dollars would go to classrooms and teachers. However, one state official says that’s not guaranteed.
“The dollars that schools will be receiving are free for them to use as they see fit,” said Charles Tack, a spokesman for the State Department of Education.
“For school districts, it starts with their governing boards — when they take a look at the budgets and how that extra money can be applied,” he said. “I don’t know that it’s safe to say that every teacher will get a raise. But, we have heard that many districts are planning to offer teachers additional compensation.”
Tack added many rural districts have other needs than giving teachers raises. For example, some school districts need new transportation for students.
“You can have the best teacher in the world,” he said. “But if the student never arrives at school, that teacher can’t make a difference for that student.”
Prop 123 withdraws a larger percentage of interest from the state land trust over the next 10 years.
