It could take Tucson Unified School District 18 years to reach Proposition 320’s required 60% of operational spending on direct instructional expenses, according to district officials.
The district reviewed the potential changes as an information item during Tuesday’s governing board meeting. Under Prop 320, which will be on the November ballot, most school districts in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties would need to increase their spending on direct instruction by half a percentage point each year until they reach 60% beginning in the 2027-2028 school year.
The district estimates that meeting the 60% threshold would require about $43 million in additional expenditures to be classified as direct instructional spending, assuming the current classifications are applied.
“When you think about direct instructional spending, we're talking about classroom teachers. We're talking about teacher assistants,” said TUSD chief financial officer Ricky Hernandez. Special education service providers, counselors, nurses, librarians, bus drivers and school maintenance do not count for the proposed measure, Hernandez said.
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If the district didn’t comply with the requirements, the state would reduce classroom site funds by 25% each year of noncompliance — $9.7 million for TUSD — which wouldn’t be returned once compliance was met.
