FY25 Budget Proposal Shifts Additional DAA and Low Income Weight Funding to 1-Time
The first draft of the FY25 budget has about $66M in what was slated to be ongoing funding for District Additional Assitance (DAA), Charter Additional Assistance (CAA), and the Free and Reduced Price Lunch (FRPL) Group B weight shifted to one-time funding for FY25.
Late last night, the budget bills reflecting the negotiation between Gov. Hobbs and the Legislature were unveiled (i.e. posted online), allowing us a first glimpse into the details.
The funding in question comes out to $37M additional dollars for the FRPL Group B weight, and a combined $29M increase for district and charter additional assistance, which reflects the last installment of a three-year increase in spending agreed to back in FY23 to help secure passage of universal ESA expansion.
If the funding is shifted to “one-time,” which in budget speak means “available in this fiscal year only,” the funding will be allocated for FY25, but then revert back to the current year’s spending level if nothing is done.
ASBA does not support this move and we are doing everything we can to protect this funding for the future. Please click here to urge your Legislators and the Governor to find a way to secure this funding for the future.
Budget Schedule
At this point the budget bills have been through committee, and so next stop is the floor of each chamber for COW and third read/final passage (the budget usually passes these days as identical bills on both sides so they do not have to swap bills and pass them again). The Arizona Constitution requires that bills be read on three different days. Today was the first, so the third isn’t available until Saturday. But anytime after 12 a.m. counts, so it could be a late night!
ASBA staff is working to get a complete education budget summary prepared. For now, the critical piece remains the effort to secure ongoing funding for DAA and the FRPL weight.