A Phoenix-area school district’s fate is at the mercy of numerous governmental bodies as it faces a roughly $20 million budget shortfall, as Arizona leaders try to figure out how to move forward.
Arizona Senate Education Committee Chair David Farnsworth said in a statement on Tuesday that if there ends up being state financial support to assist the district, there will need to be strings attached to ensure improved fiscal responsibility. The budget woes are putting the paychecks for educators and staff at risk, he said.
"I'm incredibly concerned by what's transpired within the Isaac Elementary School District. My colleagues in both the Senate and House are investigating what led to the tremendous overspending and what legislative reforms we need to adopt to make certain a similar situation doesn't happen in the future," Farnsworth stated.
In the meantime, $6 million in federal taxpayer dollars from the United States Department of Education will go to the district as a last line of defense to keep the district afloat.
“The release of the federal dollars won’t come in time to make tomorrow’s payroll, but the legislature is meeting to come up with an emergency bill,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said in a statement on Monday.
