A public advocacy group is accusing the Arizona State Legislature of failing to fund its fair share of public school construction costs.
The matter is likely to be settled in court. The Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest says the legislature is ignoring a 1994 ruling by the state Supreme Court that found it illegal to have taxpayers in each school district solely responsible for school construction. The court said that disparities between each district’s ability to raise taxpayer funds for school construction were too great.
The organization is working with local school districts to ask Arizona judges to force lawmakers to properly fund the system. In 1996, the legislature agreed to put $100 million into a special fund that could be tapped by poor districts for construction needs. It also agreed to provide another $30 million a year for nine more years.
The Supreme Court found that plan did not satisfy the constitutional requirement for a "general and uniform'' school system.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Dec 16, 2020
Download a PDF of all 2020 Giants 400 Rankings
This 70-page PDF features AEC firm rankings across 51 building sectors, disciplines, and specialty services.
AEC Tech | Nov 12, 2020
The Weekly show: Nvidia's Omniverse, AI for construction scheduling, COVID-19 signage
BD+C editors speak with experts from ALICE Technologies, Build Group, Hastings Architecture, Nvidia, and Woods Bagot on the November 12 episode of "The Weekly." The episode is available for viewing on demand.
Smart Buildings | Oct 26, 2020
World’s first smart building assessment and rating program released
The SPIRE Smart Building Program will help building owners and operators make better investment decisions, improve tenant satisfaction, and increase asset value.
K-12 Schools | Oct 23, 2020
K-12 sector adjusting to ‘new priorities’
Health and safety now rank with security for design and construction criteria.
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
University Buildings | Jul 24, 2020
A hybrid learning approach could redefine higher education
Universities reassess current assets to determine growth strategies.
Coronavirus | Mar 30, 2020
Learning from covid-19: Campuses are poised to help students be happier
Overcoming isolation isn’t just about the technological face to face, it is about finding meaningful connection and “togetherness”.
Education Facilities | Dec 5, 2019
A new Atlanta-area STEM magnet school will feature a flexible modular design
The design firm Cooper Carry combined three of its practice studios to collaborate on this project.
Giants 400 | Sep 4, 2019
Top 90 K-12 School Sector Construction Firms for 2019
Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, Turner, CORE Construction, and Skanska lead the rankings of the nation's largest K-12 school sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Sep 3, 2019
Top 140 K-12 School Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
DLR Group, PBK, Huckabee, Stantec, and VLK Architects top the rankings of the nation's largest K-12 school sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
