The newly elected Arizona Legislators are off and running for the 2023 session, and already things are off to an interesting start. Here are some highlights and notable bills to watch this year.
1. The Arizona Senate and House voted to list the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL) for this school year! If you don’t know what the AEL is, I wrote about it here in my last blog: https://www.storiesfromschoolaz.org/funding-woes/ While this is great new for this school year (as schools won’t have to think about slashing their budgets), the AEL will continue to be an issue year after year without a long-term solution moving forward. So, it’s a small victory, but something to keep on your radar still.
2. Governor, Katie Hobbs vetoed the first budget passed this year. June 30th is the deadline for the state budget to pass, so there is still plenty of time to move toward a bi-partisan budget that moves our state forward. In her State of the State speech last month, Governor Hobbs listed improving public education as a major priority and is encouraging a bi-partisan budget to be put forward.
3. Vouchers; the age-old Arizona debate. There is a continued push to expand voucher money, without expanding oversight to who is getting this money and what it is being spent on. Rolling back vouchers is another point on Governor Hobb’s educational to-do list.
4. New bills are just being introduced and sent through committees for this legislative session. A list of current bills can be found here: https://legiscan.com/AZ Bills include bathroom bans for transgender students, new policy around student pronouns, school financial incentives for passing grades, making menstrual products free in public schools, and way too many more to summarize in one blog post.
I think it is important to remember that, no matter who you voted for, your elected officials should represent your views. As bills start being debated and getting voted on, it is important to advocate for what you think is best for public education in Arizona.
What are some ways you can contact your representation? I love a good, old-fashion email to my reps to tell them what I think is best. Another easy option is Request to Speak: https://apps.azleg.gov/ Once you sign up, you can “vote on” active bills to show your representatives how you feel about each one. No matter what you do, make sure you speak up for what matters most to you and your students.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
Rachel Perugini
I am originally from Pennsylvania where I earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Shippensburg University. In 2012, I moved to Arizona to teach on the Navajo Reservation; I liked the state so much I decided to stay. I taught language arts, reading, and journalism for three years at Many Farms High School. During that time, I earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction for Reading. In 2015, I moved to Flagstaff where I currently teach 10th and 11th grade English. I have been an avid reader all my life, so I love that my job gives me that chance to read amazing books with my students all day long.