(The Center Square) – Despite Arizona’s Republican-led Legislature increasing per-student public school funding by more than $5,900 in the last decade, Democrats continue to point to rankings showing Arizona lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to quality of education.
The latest example is a recent Consumer Affairs report , which combines a mixture of factors; K-12 performance, school funding and resources, higher education quality and safety. Arizona ranked last in the aggregate.
A JBLC K-12 funding report shows that funding allocated towards students has been steadily increasing, with an estimated $15,290 allocated in 2024 compared to $9,382 in the 2016 fiscal year.
Sen. Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix, released a statement saying that this ranking is a direct result of Republican policies.
“While Arizona ranking last in public education is upsetting, it is not an accident,” reads her statement. “This is a direct result of Republican legislators enacting policies that cut public education funding, target vulnerable student populations, and target teachers, which further exacerbates the teacher shortage.”