No. Prop 320 sets a spending-priority standard for existing operational dollars; it does not create a new tax.

Unused facilities, mismanagement, and administrative bloat are siphoning away classroom dollars. Recently, ABC 15 discovered that some Arizona public school superintendents make almost half a million dollars annually. Meanwhile, many teachers are shouldering the burden of purchasing their own school supplies while their districts splurge on things like $500k trips to Las Vegas for board members and their staff.

No. It applies to districts with at least 7,500 students and districts operating a school in a county with at least 500,000 residents.

The Prioritize Teacher Pay Act exempts rural districts with less than 7,500 students or counties with populations under 500,000. While all the districts should be working toward a 60% goal, this measure critically establishes the concept for the larger and urban districts. This is because larger districts have greater economies of scale, making it less defensible for them to divert larger shares toward admin, etc.  Additionally, small and rural districts have unique challenges such as more spread out populations, which can increase transportation costs. 

Direct instructional spending is spending tied directly to teaching, instructional staff and student learning.

Direct instructional expenses is defined by the Arizona Auditor General and can be found here.

Special education teachers and aides ARE included as direct instructional spending.

No. Districts below the standard receive a gradual path to compliance and must improve their instructional-spending percentage over time.  Under Prop 320, school districts spending less than 60% on instruction are asked to increase their percentage by just 0.5% a year, giving many districts 20 years or more to reach this goal.

If a district does not comply, this can result in phased reductions to the district’s allocation from the state Classroom Site Fund. The measure is structured to require progress before penalties apply.

No position is eliminated by the ballot measure. Prop 320 sets an overall instructional-spending benchmark and leaves districts responsible for building budgets that meet student needs while moving toward compliance.

The Arizona Auditor General reports that districts devoted 52.1% of spending to instruction statewide in fiscal year 2025—the third consecutive record low. Prop 320 creates a transparent benchmark to refocus larger-district operational spending on instruction.

A YES vote means more focus on instruction, clearer accountability for existing education dollars and a responsible timeline for larger districts to meet the standard.