The Republican governor acted almost immediately after the Senate finished voting, assembling education advocates and lawmakers at the Capitol for a packed signing ceremony.
"Finally, we can stop paying lawyers and start paying teachers," he said as he stood behind a rostrum with the slogan "More Money for Schools."
The plan calls for $3.5 billion to be sent to schools over the next decade by raising the base amount of K-12 dollars, requiring that the base be adjusted annually for inflation, and adding an extra $625 million from the state's general fund. The deal was struck after weeks of closed-door negotiations that Ducey and his staff mediated after court-supervised talks between legislative leaders and school officials failed.
"We're just getting started," Ducey said as he prepared to sign the bills into law. "Now it's up to the voters to get this across the finish line."
The Legislature set May 17 for a special election to enact the constitutional changes needed to complete the settlement.
