Instructional spending requirements and school funding
Official title: School District Budgets
A Yes vote
Require covered school districts to put at least 60% of operational spending toward direct instruction, with funding reductions for noncompliance.
A No vote
Keep the current laws governing school district budgets.
Details that matter
It covers districts with at least 7,500 students anywhere, or districts operating in counties with at least 500,000 residents. The Auditor General defines the spending categories. Districts below the target must adjust each year and face a 25% annual reduction in Classroom Site Fund funding, subject to limited waivers. That reduction is not 25% of all district funding.
Read the official ballot wording
Arizona Secretary of State · Ballot language published August 19, 2026 · Page 8
Yes
A “yes” vote shall have the effect of: (1) requiring school districts with 7,500 or more students in any county or that operate in a county with 500,000 or more people to spend at least 60% of their operational spending on direct instructional expenses; (2) requiring the state Auditor General to define “operational spending” and “direct instructional expenses”; (3) requiring non-compliant school districts to gradually adjust their spending each year until they are in compliance; and (4) requiring the state Department of Education to reduce funding from the state Classroom Site Fund by 25% each year for non-compliant districts, subject to limited waivers that the state Superintendent of Public Instruction may authorize.
No
A “no” vote shall have the effect of maintaining the current laws governing school district budgets.