“Today the Arizona Legislature passed a plan to increase K-12 funding by $3.5 billion over the next ten years. This proposal is the result of months of discussions between the Governor’s office, Republican legislative leaders and school groups. I am proud to be one of the prime sponsors of this bill.

The agreement is well-thought out, and voters will have a chance to support the plan this spring. We have seen great leadership during these negotiations, to make sure these dollars get to the classroom.

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen political hypocrisy. The agreement is drafted in three bills. We’ve seen House and Senate members vote ‘yes’ on one and ‘no’ on the others. That means they don’t support the settlement reached or the benefits to our schools. This isn’t an a la carte approach.

But watch, later on these members will say they supported the plan, when they really didn’t. I voted for the plan without hesitation. I think it is the best we can do to resolve the inflation funding issue and move forward in a positive way.”