Arizona Senate waives school spending cap, averts crisis

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Senate has voted to waive a constitutional cap on K-12 school spending that threatened to shut down public campuses across the state. Monday’s 23-6 Senate vote gave the measure the needed two-thirds majority in both chambers and goes into effect immediately. The House voted last week. The vote came after some majority Republicans who had withheld their support signed onto the measure. All six no votes came from GOP lawmakers. It does not need to be signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. If lawmakers had not acted, schools would have exceeded the spending limit on March 1 and quickly started implementing cutbacks like closures or layoffs.