Arizona Teachers Union Responds After Legislature Closes Session Without Prop 123

The Arizona Education Association (AEA) is expressing disappointment following the close of the 2026 legislative session, after Republican lawmakers adjourned without renewing a key education funding measure, reforming the state's school voucher program, or passing new school investments.

AEA President Marisol Garcia said Arizona's working families have been shortchanged while the state's voucher program continues to expand.

She argued that the Republican-controlled Legislature prioritized other matters over the roughly 90 percent of Arizona children enrolled in public schools.

Garcia said the union entered budget discussions willing to negotiate with both Republicans and Democrats, with a focus on what she described as common-sense education reforms. However, she said those efforts did not yield the outcomes the union sought.

Prop 123 Funding

The issue? Proposition 123, a voter-approved funding mechanism from 2016 that directed an additional $300 million annually from the State Land Trust to public education.

The measure expired last year, and renewing it would require lawmakers to refer it back to voters. Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) made the renewal a priority during budget negotiations and briefly paused budget talks in March when Republicans declined to include it in spending discussions.

Despite that pressure, Prop 123 was not included in the $18.29 billion spending plan that Hobbs and Republican leaders agreed to.

The governor acknowledged its absence but said she remains hopeful a ballot referral could still be achieved, noting it would require both legislative action and broad coalition support.

The AEA's Protect Education Campaign, launched in March, has directed millions of dollars toward voucher accountability measures and increased public school funding. Garcia said that effort will continue into the fall.

Republicans, meanwhile, said the final budget agreement preserves the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which allows families to direct public education dollars toward private school or homeschool options.

Although continued talks with the program have faced scrutiny in recent years over oversight and spending concerns.