Arizona governor defends budget; teachers back effort to raise taxes

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey pointed to his record of growing the state budget without tax increases on Monday, while teachers who went on a statewide walkout pushed a ballot proposal to hike taxes on high earners to fund schools.

Last week, Ducey signed a

$10.4 billion budget that begins to implement a 20 percent pay increase for teachers and adds $100 million in other funding. He said while the needs of support staff and classrooms also must be addressed, his pay raise plan will ultimately provide $1 billion for schools over several years without a tax increase.

“There’s more to do, but it was a very successful session,” Ducey said.

Educators held a six-day walkout that closed a majority of the state’s school districts while demanding additional education funding. Strike supporters who said Ducey’s plan didn’t go far enough and didn’t have a stable funding source have turned their efforts to support a ballot initiative to raise taxes on high earners to fund public education.

Backers of the Invest in Education Act say it would generate about

$690 million.

Ducey, who has pledged against raising taxes, wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the plan.

“I don’t support tax increases,” he said. “I think that government should find a way to live within its means.”