Arizona Governor Outlines Ambitious But Costly Agenda, With Focus on Education

In his third State of the State address, Gov. Doug Ducey laid out an ambitious and potentially pricey agenda that left lawmakers on both sides of the aisle nodding in approval and asking the same question: How is the state going to pay for all this?

Ducey’s agenda for the 2017 session included increased school funding, teacher salary raises, tax cuts, and even free education for Arizonans to become teachers.

Meanwhile, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimates that the state will have only $24 million for new spending in fiscal year 2018, though the Ducey administration has indicated that the governor’s budget expects that number to be higher.

Missing from Ducey’s speech is exactly how he expects to pay for his proposals. Those details will come on Friday, when he releases his executive budget plan.

For now, Ducey laid out an ambitious agenda that focused heavily on K-12 education and aiding vulnerable Arizonans such as low-income students, people living in poverty and former prisoners who are reentering society.