Apr 9, 2019, 6:02 PM

@Ghost

YES. I taught in Arizona (North Phoenix) for several years, so I can actually SPEAK to that state!

The formula sucks but if you're SUPER interested here's an article: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona-education/2017/11/13/arizona-school-funding/782457001/

The TLDR: The money comes from a 'base' for each student (aprox 4 thousand), then funds based on individual schools needs (rural schools, schools with x number of experienced teachers), and then LOCAL property tax agreements.

What that meant is that the district I taught at, Madison Elementary School District, had a lot of that local money. It was a rich area of the city (near North Mountain), and the people were willing to approve all bond/override issues that came on the ballot. A nearby district, Washington, didn't have those same property values and really struggled getting their bond/overrides passed. (I cannot recall if they had one fail in the years I was there, but it was a struggle.) When it came down to it Madison had a LOT more money than Washington to go around.

School test scores aren't really a part of the formula any more, except when it comes to parent perception. That aprox. 4 thousand means a lot if you can get your kid to go to one school rather than another.