Paradise Valley board identifies priorities for ASBA legislative agenda; funding and local control prominent
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Summary
Board members discussed and preliminarily selected top items for the Arizona School Boards Association legislative agenda, emphasizing state funding, local control, standardized testing reform and special education funding.
The Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board discussed draft recommendations for the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) legislative priorities, focusing on funding, local control and standards for assessment.
Board members reviewed ASBA’s existing categories and suggested items for the district’s top five priorities. Several members emphasized funding: maximizing state funding for schools, addressing special education funding gaps and eliminating unfunded mandates. Board member Tony Pantera said the ASBA process does influence state policy, noting that past district proposals have been adopted into the association’s platform.
Discussion produced several recurring preferences: repeal or reform the aggregate expenditure limit (the constitutional spending cap), refine override and budget‑increase language to better inform voters, redefine the role and use of standardized testing, and strengthen local board authority over curriculum and district decisions. Several members proposed federal‑level advocacy for more funding for IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) services or a district‑focused statement about bridging the funding gap for special education services.
Board members tasked staff to draft two new suggested items for submission to ASBA: (1) language addressing the district’s concerns about the aggregate expenditure limit and how it is placed on the ballot, and (2) a proposal focused on the funding shortfall for special‑education services (a bridge between required services and current funding). Members said they would review the draft language before the board finalizes priorities at a later meeting.
President Greenberg closed discussion by asking staff to prepare draft language for the board to review. The ASBA legislative committee process will consider each district’s top five priorities and two new suggested items ahead of the state association’s agenda-setting process.
