Arizona education leaders say they fear a looming recession created by the coronavirus could once again mean reductions in school funding.
From 2008 to 2015, Arizona slashed more money for schools compared to any other state, dropping funding per student by more than 36%. The cuts brought criticism from some state education leaders.
The reduced education spending eventually prompted the #RedForEd movement in 2018, when teachers protested at the state Capitol for a week and brought public education to a halt.
Since then, lawmakers have returned some of the money cut since 2008 to the state’s education budget, but funding is still not back to pre-recession levels, according to the Arizona Republic.
