Special session on school funding starts

The developments came after a day that saw a former state treasurer warn Arizona lawmakers that settling a school funding lawsuit by boosting withdrawals from the state’s permanent land trust fund risks trading one suit for two because the principal of the $5.1 billion fund is at risk.

The Arizona Legislature has opened its special session to consider a deal adding new school funding and ending a five-year-old lawsuit filed by schools.

Ducey called lawmakers into a special session on Wednesday. These payments, which would not increase to account for inflation, equal about half of what the education organizations had asked for from the state Legislature to make up for the years when the state failed to fund inflation during the Great Recession.

The immediate payment would settle a lawsuit by school districts against the Legislature saying it illegally withheld inflation payments to school districts for several years during the state’s financial downturn.

The exchange shows just how emotional the special session Ducey called Wednesday night could become.

The document states the plan hinges on “voter approval of changes to the state Constitution”, but does not specify what the ballot language would say. Debate by the Senate and House is set for the afternoon after if the committees approve the bills as expected.

Lawmakers are gearing up to hear the funding bills for the first time and refer them to the House Appropriations Committee tonight.

Ducey spend almost an hour Thursday walking the halls of the Senate and House, urging on Republicans who back his plan, thanking staffers, posing for photos and asking reluctant Democrats for support.

School officials, who have gone on record supporting the proposal, have said the plan is only the start of a longer-term discussion about K-12 financing and cautioned more needs to be done once the lawsuit is settled.

In addition to failing to give mandatory inflation adjustments, Arizona made many other severe cuts when the recession hit that left schools and parents reeling.

Senate Majority Leader Steve Yarbrough said he has the votes in hand to enact the measures.

Friday morning’s vote comes after Republicans rejected a series of amendments offered by Democrats to the plan Republicans negotiated with schools.

An infuriated Biggs ran to the hearing after Martin said members had been threatened to vote for the proposal. The funds would come from Ducey’s plan to pull money from the state land trust fund and be supplemented by funds from the state’s general fund.

If the Legislature approves the settlement voters will have a chance to weigh in during a May special election.

Her group was one of the plaintiffs that sued in 2010 after lawmakers stopped making required annual inflation adjustments.