(Photo by Matthew Casey - KJZZ)

A Proposition 123 sign near a polling location near 32nd Avenue and Camelback Road.

The votes have been counted and Proposition 123 has been approved by the voters. Now, advocates for the education funding bill are ready to move on to the next phase. 

Arizona schools would designate an extra $3.5 billion over the next 10 years by allocating money from the general fund and state land trust to education. 

Joe Thomas with the Arizona Education Association said it’s time to act. 

“The breadcrumbs are there on what we need to reinvest to our schools. The money is there. It is time to act on that. And we are willing to act on anybody, to stand with anybody to put those resources back in our schools. That would support our schools and our students,” he said.

Thomas said one of the things schools need focus on is teacher retention. 

Ultimately, the individual school districts will decide how the money from Proposition 123 is spent.