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Arizona · November 3, 2026 general election · Statewide ballot measure

Proposition 320: what your vote means

School district budgets and instructional spending. On every Arizona ballot. Official sources checked October 26, 2026.

Proposition 320 · Statute referred by the Legislature (cannot later be changed except by a three-fourths legislative vote that furthers its purpose, or by voters)

School district budgets and instructional spending

Official ballot title (quoted exactly)

OFFICIAL TITLE: AMENDING TITLE 15, CHAPTER 9, ARTICLE 1, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES BY ADDING SECTION 15-917. DESCRIPTIVE TITLE: REQUIRES CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO SPEND AT LEAST SIXTY PERCENT OF THEIR OPERATIONAL SPENDING ON DIRECT INSTRUCTIONAL EXPENSES AS DEFINED BY THE AUDITOR GENERAL; REDUCES CERTAIN STATE FUNDING FOR NON-COMPLIANT DISTRICTS.

Official title and descriptive title as printed in the ballot format section of the 2026 Arizona Publicity Pamphlet, Secretary of State.

A YES vote means:

School districts with 7,500 or more students, or operating in a county of 500,000 or more people, would have to spend at least 60% of operational spending on direct instruction, as defined by the Auditor General.

A NO vote means:

Current laws on school district budgets stay as they are.

What it would change

  • Who is affected: larger school districts and those in large counties, and their students and staff.
  • Phase-in: starting in 2027-28, districts below 60% must raise the share by at least half a percentage point a year.
  • State funding: non-compliant districts lose 25% of their Classroom Site Fund allocation per year of non-compliance, up to 100%, unless granted a waiver; withheld money goes to compliant districts.
  • Fiscal impact: No official fiscal impact statement is published in the Publicity Pamphlet for this legislative referral.

Official arguments, summarized

Short neutral summaries of the arguments printed in the official voters’ pamphlet. The committees that wrote them are responsible for their content. Read the full text at the link below.

Argument for

Supporters say too little school funding reaches the classroom, that requiring large districts to spend at least 60% of operational budgets on classroom instruction would free money for teacher pay and student needs, and that it increases accountability for spending.

Argument against

Opponents, including a school nurse and parents of students with disabilities, say the 60% target leaves out nurses, counselors, therapists, transportation, and safety spending, could force cuts to those services, penalizes districts that miss it, and removes local budget flexibility.

Arguments “For” (p. 140) and “Against” (p. 141) Proposition 320, 2026 Arizona Publicity Pamphlet, Secretary of State (PDF)

Who supports it and who opposes it

These lists come from official campaign filings (registered committees) and public endorsements, each linked to its source. They are not complete, and SaveYourState does not endorse anyone listed. Lists checked October 30, 2026.

Who supports it

Who opposes it

Official sources

SaveYourState is independent and nonpartisan, not a government site, and does not take positions on ballot measures. This explainer describes effects only, using the official ballot title, explanatory statement, full text, and fiscal impact statement. If anything here differs from those documents, the official documents control.