Governor Ducey’s Budget Gets Mixed Reviews

January 15, 2021 ADI Staff Reporter
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PHOENIX⁠ — On Friday, Governor Doug Ducey received mixed reviews for his Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 to budget proposal.

Highlights of the Executive Budget include:

  • $389 million to establish a grant program for high-impact intervention and programming to mitigate learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • $10 million to inform families about education options and support transportation innovations that expand school choice
  • $6.9 million to advance early literacy learning and instruction
  • $4.4 million to scale innovative programs that serve vulnerable students
  • $4.1 million for programs that set students up for success in college and other education programs
  • $2 million to create two additional signature civics education programs
  • $500,000 to expand the Alternative Teacher Development Program
  • $400,000 to expand Jobs For Arizona Graduates, which enrolls students in innovative programs designed to keep students on track to graduate
  • $119 million for school building renewal grants
  • $52.6 million to complete two schools already under instruction and start construction on five new schools
  • $3.3 million to hire 32 additional long-term care surveyors to address high caseloads and backlog
  • $18 million to fund the continuation of the Child Care Waitlist and for a new pilot program that provides child care to children of parents pursuing education and nursing degrees
  • $92.7 million in FY 21 supplemental funding for the stabilization of child care centers and to further support providers during the pandemic
  • $2.9 million to reduce investigator caseload for Arizona Department of Economic Security Adult Protective Services
  • $1.5 million to increase provider rates for Adult and Aging Services Agencies
  • $25 million for the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, focused on keeping children safely with their families
  • $6 million to continue providing services to underinsured or uninsured persons seeking substance abuse treatment
  • $35 million to support the public universities’ workforce development for the New Economy initiative
  • $115 million in COVID-19 relief, provided via CARES Act funding
  • $6 million in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding to support the state’s future teachers through the Arizona Teachers Academy
  • $200 million to ensure Arizona taxpayers and small businesses keep more of their hard-earned money, with additional investments phasing up to $600 million by FY 24
  • $54 million to address building renewal needs across the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR), which includes $25 million for critical safety projects at the Eyman Complex
  • $17.9 million to provide additional bed capacity management space in ADCRR
  • $5 million to expand substance abuse treatment programs in prisons
  • $13.8 million to equip Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) employees with body cameras and necessary support for video and IT management
  • $7 million to further DPS trooper recruitment and retention efforts
  • $16.2 million to perform system-critical updates to the statewide land mobile radio network, with additional investment in FY 23 and FY 24
  • $24 million to increase workforce and partnerships through the AZ Healthy Forest Initiative
  • $8 million to increase the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management’s wildfire suppression budget
  • $5 million to fully fund the Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund Program
  • $375,900 to establish a state enterprise-wide hoteling pilot program in response to the significant increase in teleworkers
  • $7.8 million to launch a straightforward online portal to complete all state government functions needed to start a business
  • $33.1 million to fund a major expansion of the I-40 West broadband corridor, in addition to $40 million in Federal CARES Act funding for the I-19 and I-17 broadband corridors
  • $10 million to renew and bolster the Rural Broadband Grant Program

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