This week, officials in the Sunnyside Unified School District began discussing the potential impacts of a proposition that would dictate operational spending in all of Pima County’s district schools if Arizonans vote the measure into law this November.
“It is a ballot referendum that the legislature proposed — instead of sending it to the governor, which they knew for sure it would be vetoed,” said Karla Walter, chief financial officer for Sunnyside.
The Republican-backed Proposition 320#cite_note-text-1) would require all public school districts in Pima, Pinal and Maricopa counties to spend 60% of their operational spending on direct instruction. On average, Arizona schools are currently spending around half their budgets on direct instruction according to data from the Arizona Auditor General.
“Where do we get signs that say ‘Vote no on Prop 320’?” joked Sunnyside board clerk Ted Rodriguez at [Tuesday’s meeting](
School districts in Arizona’s other 12 counties would also be subject to the 60% requirement if they enroll more than 7,500 students.
The ballot measure does not clearly define direct instructional spending — not to be confused with classroom spending. The auditor general would instead be responsible for defining instructional spending.
“We want to make sure that voters are aware of what they’re voting for because it’s very misleading,” said Jose Gastelum, superintendent of the Sunnyside district.
Supporters say the measure would prioritize teacher pay, of which Arizona ranks 39th in the nation according to the National Education Association. But opponents emphasize that rather than adding funding to the teacher pay pool, Prop 320 forces districts to reallocate funds and make reductions when they’re already struggling financially.
In Fiscal Year 2025, Sunnyside spent just under 49% of its budget on instruction. The district expects to make staff reductions to custodians, bus drivers, psychologists, teacher coaches and librarians — among other areas — if the proposition passes.
Pima County’s largest district, Tucson Unified, spent 48.5% on instruction in 2025. The district estimates a slight increase to 51% for the following fiscal year.
In a presentation to the governing board in September, TUSD Chief Financial Officer Ricky Hernández defined direct instructional spending as items like classroom teachers, teacher assistants, field trips, general supplies and textbooks.
He said the district would likely see financial reductions in professional development for teachers, transportation, counseling and more than $11 million in cuts to facilities and safety.
According to the measure, districts spending less than 60% on instruction will see reductions to their classroom site fund by next fiscal year unless they make improvements of 0.5% each year until they’re in compliance. If they fail to do so, non-compliant districts would suffer a 25% cut to their classroom site fund for the first year; 50% the second year; 75% the third year and 100% for the fourth year of non-compliance and beyond.
The Arizona Department of Education distributes the classroom site fund — which is generated from sales taxes — to district and charter schools mainly for base salaries and performance awards.
That essentially means districts will be punished for not paying their teachers more by losing some of the funds that contribute to teacher salaries.
Gastelum with Sunnyside said there’s a lot at stake in the Prop 320 election.
“There’s big penalties for not complying and the way they define direct instruction is probably something many people across the state do not agree with,” he said.
North of Tucson, the Catalina Foothills School District is also discussing the cuts that could come with the proposition.
Jimmy Arwood with the Arizona School Board Association [presented](
on Prop 320 at Catalina Foothills High School last month to an audience of about 50. He said the district spends close to 56% of its budget on instruction, which is above the state average but still below the 60% expectation.
In order to catch up to that 60%, Arwood said, the district would have to scrap 10% from the rest of its budget.
“We encourage voters to learn about the measure, review the official ballot language and publicity pamphlet, ask questions, and consider the information available to them before casting their ballots,” spokesperson Allison Bacalia wrote to AZPM.
The superintendent of the Amphitheater Unified School District plans to present Prop 320 to the governing board at next Tuesday’s meeting during his report, according to spokesperson Michelle Valenzuela. That district would have to increase its instructional spending by 10 percentage points under Prop 320.
“If Prop. 320 passes, the District would face considerable budget reductions in an already difficult time for public schools.
The focus of the proposition on a potentially narrow definition of instructional spending rather than on classroom spending overall would have significant negative impacts on most public schools affected, including Amphitheater,” Valenzuela wrote to AZPM.
The Arizona School Board Association is holding a virtual info session next Monday, Oct. 5, on Prop 320. The League of Women Voters will also be presenting on propositions at local libraries.
