[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6103573,"mediaKeyId","2794321-81fa7c53d705aefdf2a15c49186e2cd4","parentId",2794321,"title","Auditor General: Arizona districts spent more overall in FY2024 but a smaller share went to classroom instruction","audioSeconds",95,"startMs",2385000,"endMs",2290000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2794321-81fa7c53d705aefdf2a15c49186e2cd4&start=2385&end=2290","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2794321-81fa7c53d705aefdf2a15c49186e2cd4/thumbnail_2385000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6103573/Arizona/Auditor-General-Arizona-districts-spent-more-overall-in-FY2024-but-a-smaller-share-went-to-classroom-instruction","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6103573-54c3130d7dce9eeda9244a21b0fec1d2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770015687&Signature=a~UiGGDqHg-j-Yy2n2Xh29xR-EWasUDuis5VjQ1zmzcZmzJBZCF~UDxyuV-mVITdYhq~pdJNNs2MIIDR-R-Ythxb~RXBtOi6O4WAiynTcpg5i26jWESJBj2UiHaRPP3NbWRHkbzC22j0iP2wtue~e92gheK6SAuZcxYcMiZYUk2ZVJyTxo-x3B7uUg~~JvYsn0CWtsRkkmk4KH70D1Hbybi45Wv6zzY-Lt43vPWBWeUyWjqNuwYMslSlQpBSz6qWhUr6EaoGkFDU~TqegtEVCC8kmMmtdLfwVu5o1YVUs8fRFLAP5lqAjOJ7DZPAt-eYEkXYZ9A0jayly~fmP26tuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arizona Legislature","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","Auditor General Lindsay Perry told the Arizona Senate Education Committee that her office's annual analysis found school districts spent more overall in fiscal year 2024, but a smaller percentage of those dollars went to classroom instruction.

\"My office has a statutory responsibility to annually monitor the percentage of every dollar spent in the classroom, by school districts,\" Perry said as she opened the committee presentation. Audit manager Carl Calderon led the committee through the report's key figures and district examples.

The nut graf: The report shows statewide operational spending reached its highest level since monitoring began, while the instructional spending percentage dropped to its lowest level since 2001. The change matters because federal COVID-19 relief funds that boosted district budgets are phasing out and enrollment is declining, both of which could force districts to change spending patterns.

Statewide totals and COVID relief
Carl Calderon said statewide operational spending in FY2024 was $10,540,000,000. Total statewide operational spending per student in FY2024 was $12,371, an increase of $668 (about 5.7%) from the prior year. The Auditor General's office reported school districts have spent nearly $3,500,000,000 in COVID-19 federal relief since those funds started being distributed in FY2020. In FY2024 districts used about $264,000,000 less of those federal relief funds than they did in FY2023.

Instructional spending percentage
\"The instructional spending percentage in fiscal year 2024 was 52.6%, which was a decrease of 0.8 percentage points from the prior fiscal year,\" Calderon said. That is the second consecutive year the instructional percentage has fallen and the lowest percentage recorded since the Auditor General began monitoring in FY2001. The office's analysis attributes much of the percentage decline to districts directing a smaller share of operational spending to teacher salaries and benefits while increasing spending for student support services and plant operations.

Enrollment trends and implications
Calderon said both the number of school-aged children in Arizona and district enrollment are declining and are projected to continue to fall. Using U.S. Census Bureau data, the report notes the school-aged population declined by about 32,000 between 2020 and 2023, and district enrollment dropped by roughly 45,000 students (about 5%) between FY2020 and FY2024. Charter school enrollment rose about 7% in that period; participation in universal empowerment scholarship accounts rose from about 12,000 in FY2022 to nearly 75,000 in FY2024.

District examples
The office used Mesa Unified School District as an illustrative case. Mesa's instructional spending percentage was 53% in FY2024, a 1.3 percentage-point decline from FY2023; Mesa's five-year enrollment decline was reported as 6,485 students (about 10.9%). In contrast, Glendale Union High School District was cited as an example of increasing enrollment.

Teacher pay and COVID funding mix
The Auditor General's report found the statewide average teacher salary rose to $65,113 in FY2024, a cumulative increase of $16,741 (34.6%) since FY2017. The FY2024 statewide average base teacher salary (excluding one-time and performance payments) was $59,435. Calderon's presentation noted only about 5.3% of the cumulative salary increase through FY2024 came from COVID-19 federal relief funds (down from 10.4% the prior year), and that FY2025 will be the final year in which districts may use those funds.

Operational efficiency
The report also compared districts to peer groups on measures such as plant operations cost per square foot and administrative spending per student. The office summarized nearly $8,000,000 of potential savings identified through performance audits in the past five years and flagged approximately $4.1 million of recurring savings if certain inefficiencies were addressed.

Why it matters
Committee members asked about comparisons with other states and whether districts had plans to sustain operations once one-time federal relief is exhausted. Calderon said the state results page offers per-student comparisons to national averages, and the Auditor General's office will continue monitoring how districts adapt as relief funds expire.

The Auditor General's office also posted an interactive website (Arizona Auditor General school district spending analysis) and offered to provide members and staff district-level data files and additional support on request.

Ending: The committee did not take action on the Auditor General's report; members thanked Perry and Calderon for the in-person presentation and were invited to use the office's public tools and data in legislative oversight and local planning.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03/26/2025 - Senate Education","oneSentenceSummary","Auditor General Lindsay Perry told the Arizona Senate Education Committee that her office's annual analysis found school districts spent more overall in fiscal year 2024, but a smaller percentage of those dollars went to classroom instruction.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Arizona, Arizona","taxId",78572,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6103568,"Education Committee advances water-safety, immunization-transparency, CTE and other bills; committee roll-call outcomes",166,7767000,7933000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2794321-81fa7c53d705aefdf2a15c49186e2cd4&start=7767&end=7933","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2794321-81fa7c53d705aefdf2a15c49186e2cd4/thumbnail_7767000.jpg","/articles/6103568/Arizona/Education-Committee-advances-water-safety-immunization-transparency-CTE-and-other-bills-committee-roll-call-outcomes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6103568-8f0816d4ad4708bc39683c8fa23f5d4a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770015687&Signature=nutUsthTWCvUsCJo-wqSyvDMYwW8cOY71rhpcs6Mfq316-z3rOdCZn9hsytwdnaeR2K8fMhkcYwN~yGA1jkF1wIHi0AVpyX3iD7dVH7JtL633hdNakVaByP5nH5~QIy4bk9lBjM5GhcJCAwyuTCWEaFKg-kwmsOU7siv9Y7D0FnQ9Kc111B1lMZNC59F84YbU2PSZsk~LsYKIhaK1UzFRz3jS0wEEpbgSHCemRJmyuyvufFgvFrn6ARSvdcuxPzQHHwNaLjsV-aifzbV508DVSH47TCHsobZKI2e1HNq7fDRddLW7VusibZrFVUVxvfO-jwgmY-UEhNM2UWhvU57Og__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Arizona Senate Education Committee advanced a package of bills on March 24, 2025, voting to give \"do pass\" recommendations on a number of measures ranging from water-safety outreach to school immunization communications, career and technical education for middle school students, and changes to governance and classroom procedures.

Why it matters: Several bills address public-safety and parental-notification matters (water-safety information for parents; school communications about immunization exemptions). Others affect higher education and clinical training, school district operations and information access, or expand student access to career and technical education.

Votes and key details (committee action summaries)
- HB 2019 (water safety information; ADE webpage and parent notice on enrollment): Committee recommended do pass (7 ayes, 0 nos). Sponsor/staff presented that ADE would compile and post information on water education and local providers; testimony included parents and advocates describing drowning prevention programs and urging passage.

- HB 2058 (higher education immunization disclosure; informed-consent exemption for adult students): Committee recommended do pass (4 ayes, 2 nos, 1 not voting). The bill would require institutions that require immunization proof to fully disclose requirements and allow students 18 or older to submit informed-consent or specified medical statements to secure exemptions; supporters said it protects adult students' informed-consent rights; opponents warned of risks in health-care clinical settings.

- HB 2063 (require school communications to include immunization-exemption information): Committee recommended do pass (roll-call summary: committee recorded a do-pass recommendation). The sponsor said the bill simply requires schools to disclose existing legal exemptions alongside immunization requirements; supporters urged transparency; public-health groups opposed, citing risks to medically vulnerable students.

- HB 2724 (allow outreach/addresses by certified patriotic youth groups during the first quarter of the school year; list of qualifying organizations in amendment): Committee recommended do pass as amended (6 ayes, 0 nos, 1 not voting). The adopted amendment specified named organizations and clarified distribution requirements.

- HB 2029 (annual attestation that schools teach digital and media literacy standards; submit to ADE and post on district websites): Committee recommended do pass (5 ayes, 0 nos, 2 not voting). Staff presented the bill; no sponsor or public testimony was recorded in the committee hearing.

- HB 2677 (allow middle-school CTE courses to count for promotion/graduation in limited window; reporting and audit requirements; financial limits): Committee recommended do pass as amended (6 ayes, 0 nos, 1 not voting). The committee adopted an amendment clarifying funding and reporting and adding an Auditor General accounting requirement for costs.

- HB 2067 (board-member access to district records; \"strike everything\" amendment): Committee recommended do pass as amended (4 ayes, 3 nos). The amendment would require administrators to provide requested records to governing-board members for specified agenda and budget items within one week (and within 10 business days for other records), and include FERPA/confidentiality protections; opponents (school administrators, county superintendents) raised concerns about personnel and student privacy and the proper administrative role.

- HB 2663 (teacher readmission certification: principal must provide written certification before readmitting a student removed from class): Committee recommended do pass (4 ayes, 3 nos). Supporters framed the bill as the \"teacher bill of rights\" to ensure teachers receive information when a student is returned to class; critics (ACLU, school administrators, teachers' union) said existing statute and local practices already address readmission and warned of unintended harms to students and process protections.

- HB 2700 (require geography in high-school social studies standards to include instruction on the Gulf of America): Committee recommended do pass (4 ayes, 3 nos). The sponsor and some committee members supported specification of geography content; other members opposed as inappropriate specification of standards at the statute level.

Committee next steps: All bills receiving a do-pass recommendation move forward in the legislative process to follow-up committees or floor consideration. Several measures drew focused public testimony and an extended stakeholder conversation was requested for bills involving district records access and classroom discipline.

Note on testimony and public comment: The hearing included testimony from legislative staff and bill sponsors, parents and advocates (including Every Child a Swimmer and the United States Swim School Association on HB 2019), representatives from public-health vaccine advocacy and opposition groups on immunization measures, career-technical education stakeholders, school administrators and associations, the Arizona Department of Education, the ACLU of Arizona, and teachers' union representatives.","The Senate Education Committee heard multiple bills on March 24, 2025, advancing several to the next legislative step with committee \"do pass\" recommendations. Topics included water-safety outreach, higher-education immunization exemptions for adults, required disclosure of immunization exemptions in school communications, expanded CTE for middle","actionData","errors"]

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Auditor General: Arizona districts spent more overall in FY2024 but a smaller share went to classroom instruction

Education Committee advances water-safety, immunization-transparency, CTE and other bills; committee roll-call outcomes