Cracking Down on Excess: Arizona Lawmakers Target Lavish School Spending and Bloated Bonuses in 2025 Reforms
State 48 News dives into the murky waters of education funding, exposing the gaps in transparency, accountability, and the questionable prioritization of taxpayer dollars.
Should the state cap taxpayer-funded bonuses and travel to redirect more resources to classrooms?
Exclusive State 48 News investigations uncovered taxpayer dollars funding 20% superintendent raises and extravagant travel, sparking outrage among Arizona lawmakers.
Describing the spending as “outrageous” and “egregious,” legislators are demanding audits and urgent reforms to address these abuses.
Liberty’s lavish spending, along with a pair of recent reports from the Goldwater Institute and the Arizona Auditor General’s Office highlight egregious cases of financial mismanagement in Arizona’s school districts. They reveal a pattern of wasteful spending that cannot be ignored. These findings are not just numbers on a page; they represent a betrayal of the trust that Arizona taxpayers have placed in our education system.
As a state representative and chairman of the House Education Committee and Joint Legislative Audit Committee, I am committed to making sure our taxpayers dollars get to where the taxpayers expect them to — in this case, the classroom. The misuse of public funds is not just a financial issue; it is a moral one. Every dollar that is wasted on unnecessary travel or political conferences is a dollar that could have been spent on improving our schools, supporting our teachers, and providing our students with the quality education they deserve.
To address this issue, I will continue to push for greater transparency and increased oversight of school district spending. I will also be introducing legislation to ensure that the findings of audits are taken seriously and that districts are held accountable for implementing the necessary changes. The public deserves answers when it comes to how their money is being spent.
Rep. Matt Gress | Arizona House Member | District 4
Rep. Gress Responds to Key Issues Highlighted by State 48 News Over the Past Year
Arizona Rep. Matt Gress is taking aim at two explosive issues uncovered by State 48 News, demanding accountability in the state’s education system.
A 15-year-old Arizona law lets school superintendents score performance bonuses of up to 20% of their base salary. Outrage erupted last week when families in the Liberty Elementary School District slammed a $5 holiday performance fee—charged to support fine arts—despite overcrowded, standing-room-only conditions. Just days earlier, the school board amended the superintendent’s contract, setting him up for a $37,000 raise.
Additionally, State 48 News uncovered substantial expenditures by school districts on travel for governing board members and top administrators. Records obtained through public records requests revealed Arizona school districts spend tens of thousands—sometimes exceeding $100,000—on trips to popular destinations, raising questions about the appropriateness of such expenses.
These findings are prompting Rep. Gress and other lawmakers to advocate for reform in 2025, focusing on increasing financial transparency and ensuring taxpayer dollars are used responsibly within the education system.
Earlier in the week, Arizona House of Representatives member Joseph Chaplik (R-LD3), Chair of Arizona’s New Regulatory Oversight Committee, told State 48 News, “Arizonans want accountability.”
Arizonans want accountability for these districts and how they spend the $Billions in K-12 money given to them in the budget every year by the legislature. Outrageous abuses like this $75,000 taxpayer funded luxury junket are exactly why our state’s education budget has exploded in recent years. It’s very obvious why the money never makes it to the classroom. I’m calling for every district to be audited and I think we will find this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Rep. Joseph Chaplik | Arizona House Member | District 3
Easily Overlooked: Travel Requests Embedded in Consent Agendas
West Valley Families, an independent news outlet spearheaded by State 48 News investigative journalist Jennifer Barber, uncovered a troubling trend: travel requests quietly tucked into consent agendas on West Valley school board dockets.
Consent agendas, typically reserved for routine approvals, allow items to pass without discussion—helpful for keeping controversial expenditures under the radar.
When 13 members of the Agua Fria Union High School District [AFUHSD] requested approval to attend the 2024 NSBA Conference in New Orleans, West Valley Families filed a FOIA request to investigate previous travel expenses.
Records revealed that in 2023, nine staff members and three governing board members from AFUHSD attended the NSBA Conference in Orlando, Florida, racking up nearly $30,000 in taxpayer-funded expenses.
If the NSBA rings a bell, it’s likely because of its controversial letter to President Biden, where it likened threats and disruptions at school board meetings to acts of “domestic terrorism.”
“In a letter written to Attorney General Garland, the NSBA asked DOJ to invoke the Patriot Act to stifle parents from speaking up at school board meetings challenging their children’s indoctrination through liberal texts and racially charged, anti-white lessons, as well as the continuation of school mask mandates and remote learning.”
Ken Paxton | Texas Attorney General | March 04, 2022
More people from the Agua Fria Union HSD wanted to attend the NSBA conference the next year. The board approved $2,000 per attendee for 9 staff and 4 governing board members to attend the 2024 NSBA New Orleans conference. Following a West Valley Families investigation, 12 opted not to go, leaving board member Trey Terry as the sole attendee. His travel costs exceeded $3,500, according to district counsel Jeff Stratman. Trey Terry won his election for Goodyear City Council and will be sworn in next month.
The district’s travel spending continued. Over the 2023-24 School Year, records show the AFUHSD governing board allocated more than $103,000 on taxpayer-funded travel for itself and top administrative staff.
Four employees make up the district’s communications team—earning a combined salary of $336,000 annually. Its staff attended the Experimental Marketing Summit in Las Vegas and later to St. Louis for professional development opportunities.
Dozens of employees and board officials traveled to Nashville for academies leadership training, with the board president defending the trips as “100 percent warranted” during a board retreat. Additional travel took administrators to Chicago, Denver, San Diego, and Orlando.
In one case, a board member returned to his hometown to chaperone students competing in Seattle. That trip, unanimously approved by the board, has now set a precedent for future travel of this kind.
In summer 2024, the AFUHSD governing board revamped its travel policies, unanimously backing board member Eric Cultum’s push to expand travel beyond professional development to include chaperoning students at national competitions.
But in a move raising eyebrows, the board also decided at the same August meeting to decline imposing any spending cap on their own, board-approved trips.
West Valley Families' investigations into other school districts reveal growing concerns from conservative governing board members about the content of taxpayer-funded conferences.
In the Peoria Unified School District, board member Heather Rooks frequently challenges the use of public funds for conferences heavily focused on DEI and mental health, questioning whether these align with district priorities and taxpayer expectations.
West Valley Families also spoke with school board members from the Liberty Elementary and Buckeye Union High School Districts regarding their more restrictive travel policies. You can explore those discussions here.
ICYM: How Hosting Board Meetings Outside the District Unlocks Taxpayer Funding
In summer 2024, the Goldwater Institute exposed taxpayer-funded "luxury resort trips," including $76,969 spent by the Tolleson Union High School District on retreats for board members and administrators. While within Arizona, the destinations were over 50 miles away, allowing public funds to cover the costs.
“In both July 2023 and June 2024, for instance, Tolleson Union’s school administrators and school board members treated themselves to multi-day summer “retreats” at four-star resorts in Sedona and Tucson, all on the taxpayers’ dime.”
Goldwater Institute | August 14, 2024
In December 2024, State 48 News secured an exclusive opportunity to seek clarification from the Tolleson Union superintendent about how school officials justify crossing district boundaries, thereby using taxpayer funds for travel expenses. When asked about his decision to hold board retreats outside district lines, Jeremy Calles exclusively explained to State 48 News that he struggles to maintain staff focus and engagement within district offices.
Weighing the Costs: Balancing Professional Development and Board Retreats Against Fiscal Responsibility
Professional development can benefit Arizona classrooms, but the real question is: how much taxpayer money should be funneled into conferences and board retreats instead of directly supporting students? Should the state impose a cap on taxpayer-funded travel to prioritize classrooms over luxury trips?
The backlash is bipartisan, with politicians on both sides slamming the excessive spending. Among them is Democrat Leezah Sun, who’s set to join the Tolleson Union High School District governing board—and has already made it clear she’s ready to take on this issue.
Tolleson Superintendent Jeremy Calles was placed on paid leave after governing members reviewed a $45,000 board-commissioned report into his conduct. During our conversation with Calles, just minutes before his suspension, he stated he would comply with state law if board retreats were prohibited. You can listen to his full statement here.
Innovative Solutions: Bringing in Speakers to Maximize Impact and Minimize Costs
The Buckeye Union High School District takes a what it calls a cost-effective approach to professional development, with board member Nathan Madden explaining the district saves taxpayer money by hosting speakers to train hundreds of employees on-site.
THE MORE YOU KNOW
In Arizona, school districts tap into taxpayer-funded Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budgets to cover travel expenses, sparking debates about whether professional development justifies the cost. Critics question the lack of transparency and oversight, demanding answers about how public funds are prioritized in education. State 48 News will keep a close watch on the Arizona legislature in 2025 as lawmakers consider audits and reforms to rein in taxpayer-funded travel.
Regarding school admin pay: At its last meeting, the Liberty Elementary School District approved having the option to double the superintendent's performance pay from 10% to 20% of his annual salary in accordance to state law. Tonight, the board may retreat into executive session to discuss his evaluation or contract, potentially greenlighting a bonus over $37,000.