AZ House bill would require large school districts to vote on whether to split up

By Greg Hahne
Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
Published: Monday, March 6, 2023 - 2:54pm
Updated: Monday, March 6, 2023 - 2:55pm

The Arizona House of Representatives has passed a bill that would require a public vote in large school districts to determine whether they should be split up. 

State law already allows such a vote to be in place if 10% of voters in the area submit petitions. 

While that is in the new bill, it would also force that vote if a district has more than 35,000 students. That would include Tucson, Mesa, and Chandler school districts.

The bill does not spell out how that break-up process would work.

The measure passed on a party-line vote, with Republicans saying such districts are too large to let individuals be heard. Democrats worried money would be funded away from classrooms.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Education