Aggregate expenditure limit…you may have heard this term recently, or maybe you remember the panic last year as the AEL loomed over public schools. Either way, be ready to hear about this term again as the deadline to override it nears again.
If you have never heard of the aggregate expenditure limit, or AEL, basically it is a cap on school funding voted on by Arizona voters in 1980. Confusing, right? Voters from 40 years ago are still affecting how much public schools are allowed to spend. So, even though our legislatures have allotted money for schools to spend this year, schools cannot technically spend any money over that aggregate expenditure limit.
Did you notice that I mentioned public schools are the ones affected by this? The AEL only technically affects public schools. Why? Because charter schools did not exist in 1980 and weren’t mentioned in the law.
Last school year, there were talks about closing schools, cutting programs, firing teachers if the AEL was allowed to stand. My district was set to lose 12 million dollars if action was not taken. Fortunately, our leaders stepped up and voted to let schools spend the money they were promised.
Once again, the aggregate expenditure limit looms. In September, Superintendents and school boards across the state wrote to our legislature asking them to override the AEL to avoid having to cut over 1 billion dollars in allocated funds. The Arizona Legislature has until March 1st to override the limit to avoid cutting school budgets. They need a 2/3s vote.
So, what can we do? The nearest hurdle to cross is to get the AEL lifted for this year so schools can focus on teaching instead of worrying about budget cuts if they cannot spend all their money. In the long run, however, the AEL need to be removed permanently, maybe with a new voter initiative to rewrite the law.
Until then, what can concerned teachers, parents, or students do? Call your legislatures and let them know you want them to override the AEL and let schools spend the money they have been given! They have until March 1st to keep our schools’ funding on track.
Still have questions about the aggregate expenditure limit? Read my sources below to learn more.
Sources:
AEA: https://www.arizonaea.org/resource-library/arizonas-constitutional-aggregate-expenditure-limit
AZEdNews: https://azednews.com/what-is-the-aggregate-expenditure-limit-how-does-it-impact-schools/
Photo by Karolina Grabowska
Rachel Perugini
I am originally from Pennsylvania where I earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Shippensburg University. In 2012, I moved to Arizona to teach on the Navajo Reservation; I liked the state so much I decided to stay. I taught language arts, reading, and journalism for three years at Many Farms High School. During that time, I earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction for Reading. In 2015, I moved to Flagstaff where I currently teach 10th and 11th grade English. I have been an avid reader all my life, so I love that my job gives me that chance to read amazing books with my students all day long.
Comments 1
Thank you for this post. I will share it with my community. Sad to say, but we continue to fight for public school dollars. Thank you for standing on the gate and sounding the horn.