Prop 123 to Pass, What Comes Next for Arizona

Prop 123 in Arizona is projected to pass, The Arizona Republic reports.

The proposition, which had been dubbed a “too close to call” vote as of Wednesday, increased its lead to pass by 17,000 votes. As of Tuesday night, the proposition was ahead of a yes by less than 9,000 votes.

More than 921,000 votes were cast in Tuesday’s election. Of those, it was reported that the proposal earned a 50.48 percent in favor, versus 49.52 percent against.

According to Matt Roberts, director of communications for the Secretary of State, canvassing of votes will take place May 31st where the official result of Tuesday’s election will be heard.

Although ballot options divided voters, many who went to the polls Tuesday agreed that polling station conditions had improved from March’s presidential preference election, including at the Salvation Army’s Phoenix Citadel Corps location.

If Prop 123 passes, local school leaders will decide how to spend funds diverted from the public land trust to finance schools. If it ends in defeat, a long-running debate over how schools in Arizona are funded will continue.

The proposition would re-allocate some of Arizona’s land trust funds to public and charter schools during the next decade to resolve a long-standing lawsuit over education money. About $2.5 billion of the proposition money would come from the land trust.

Although the results have not yet been made official, some organizations have already expressed their excitement for what they’re calling a “win for education.”

Expect More Arizona released the following statement: “The passage of Prop 123 is a good outcome for Arizona. It is an important compromise that gets additional funding to our schools and teachers immediately. The ballot measure passed because parents, educators, community and business leaders worked diligently to support an increase in funding for education in Arizona. The coalition around education is stronger and more diverse than ever and we hope it continues to grow. We are celebrating this win for education today, but we know our work is just beginning.”

“Arizona voters have taken the first step toward changing our course for public education in Arizona,” says Arizona Education Association President Andrew F. Morrill. “Now we need to make education funding a top priority here in Arizona and work on the next steps towards increasing and stabilizing funding for public education so our children go to school in clean classrooms with up to date textbooks and technology and small class sizes.”

Cronkite News contributed to this article