Phoenix, Ariz. – Today, the Arizona legislature passed a bipartisan budget funding the Arizona government for the next fiscal year. Although not perfect, the budget makes important steps toward strengthening Arizona’s children and families and setting them up for a brighter future.
Among the notable pro-child and pro-family investments included in the budget:
- $3.4 million for 9th grade on track programs, investing in improving on-track and graduation rates at Arizona high schools. At Camelback High School, on-track rates have nearly doubled since the program was implemented in 2019.
- $3.8 million for free school lunches, investing in eliminating co-pays for students on the reduced-price lunch program. Last year, this program increased school breakfast and lunch participation by 1 million.
- $45 million for childcare subsidies, to begin eliminating the childcare waitlist that currently has nearly 6,000 children on it and help parents afford to work.
- 2-year waiver of the Aggregate Expenditure Limit, eliminating near-term uncertainty pertaining to school budgets. Had this not been included, schools may not have been able to spend their full budgets, despite having been approved by the legislature.
“We applaud Governor Hobbs and the Arizona legislature for working together to make crucial investments in Arizona’s children and families,” said Stand for Children Arizona Executive Director Rebecca Gau. “Although we would have liked to see more investments in Arizona’s families over some other elements of the budget, we are grateful for a focus on keeping kids on track for high school graduation, eliminating co-pays for reduced price lunches, expanding childcare subsidies, and giving schools the confidence to spend their budget. Continuing to invest in these programs will help set thousands of Arizona children on the path to a brighter future.”
