Concerned legislators held a press conference to highlight a bipartisan group of nearly 200 Arizona school superintendents who are urging the state legislature to immediately suspend the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL) that would cause $1.3 billion in school funding cuts if left in place. Building on her history of advocating for full school funding, Secretary of State and candidate for governor Katie Hobbs issued the following statement in response:

“In a crisis of growing class sizes and massive teacher shortages, we should be increasing resources for Arizona schools — not taking them away. I fully support repealing this archaic rule, which forces schools to make the impossible choice between staying open and providing our children with a quality education, while threatening Arizona’s jobs and economy. Investing in our children’s education is not only an investment in their future, but also the future of Arizona’s workforce and economic success,” said Hobbs. “As governor, I will put more resources in the classroom and fight to make sure our schools get the funding they need so every child in Arizona has access to a quality education — no matter their zip code or economic status.”

Meanwhile, Kari Lake’s dangerous plans to defund and force extreme out-of-state curriculums on Arizona schools show that when it comes to our children’s futures, she would rather play politics than actually provide resources to support their education.

Katie Hobbs knows that when teachers do not get the support they need, our students pay the price. That’s why she’s proposing a bold plan to bolster Arizona’s education system.

Below are highlights from Hobbs’ A Prepared Arizona education plan, which will better equip our teachers, students, and families by:

• Advocating to permanently guarantee full funding for public education as legislators commit to in the budget;
• Providing free early childhood education for students and affordable child care for parents;
• Ensuring our children and educators have the support, funding, and other resources they need to thrive; 
• Making sure every student has access to certified school counselors and social workers;
• Supporting the state’s K-12 education system in helping every child learn, grow, and prepare for a wide range of higher education and career opportunities; 
• Increasing the post-secondary education opportunities available, including lowering college tuition costs and making career and technical education more accessible through new state assistance. 

Original source can be found here.