Lawmakers Set Aside $3.3B for Education

PHOENIX - Teachers have been down at the Capitol lobbying, trying to stop big cuts to education. In a rare case of bipartisanship late Monday, lawmakers on both sides passed a bill that would allocate $3.3 billion to K-12 spending. Gov. Brewer has said she's planning to sign the bills negotiated Monday.

That money keeps the state eligible for billions in federal stimulus funding.

Legislators have agreed to use that money for education -- but they haven't figured out how to pay for it yet. Leaders are still faced with the daunting task of balancing the budget.

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"Now we've got a budget that is more out of whack. We're going to have to go in and do more spending cuts and we're going to have to have additional revenue," said Gov. Brewer.

Additional revenue to Gov. Brewer means her proposed 1-percent tax increase -- something that Republican and Democrat lawmakers are dead-set against. She wants the increase to be sent to the voters on the Nov. ballot.

"When the state is in the biggest financial downturn since the Great Depression the last thing you want to do is burden taxpayers and businesses with more taxes."

There's no telling how long the special session will go on. There are many more issues to tackle in budget negotiations.