Ballot measures in California and Arizona target school funding

In California, Proposition 3 is being promoted by major unions, including the California Teachers Association, as a vital measure to maintain funding for public schools and prevent teacher layoffs. While the campaign emphasizes local school support, the initiative is a tax measure on the state’s highest-earning 2% of filers that would make current higher tax rates permanent beyond 2030. Approximately 40% of the revenue would fund education from transitional kindergarten through community college, while the remaining 60% would support the general fund, including healthcare, courts, and the prison system.

In Arizona, Proposition 320 proposes that public school districts in large counties or specific rural areas must spend 60% of their annual operational spending on instruction. Failure to meet this requirement would result in a 25% reduction in classroom site funds, which are used primarily for teacher pay. Data indicates that 87 districts with available spending records currently spend an average of 52.5% of their operational budgets on instruction, meaning the majority of affected districts would face financial penalties if the measure passes.