Classroom Site Fund

What is Classroom Site Fund?                                                          

The Classroom Site Fund was established in fiscal year 2022. The initiative was passed by the residents of Arizona creating a funding stream for public education from sales tax. The Department of Revenue started collecting an additional 0.6% sales tax beginning June 1, 2001 and, under the terms of Proposition 301 the funds were set to expire June 30, 2021; however, in 2018 the Arizona Legislature passed SB1390 to extend the Classroom Site Fund for another 20 years.  Additionally, in 2021 SB1130 expanded the use to include Student Support services as an allowable expense. Student Support services include Social Workers, Guidance Services, Psychologists, Speech Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Physical Therapists. Since sales tax fluctuates, the monies available to school districts will fluctuate annually. The intent of this  K-12 funding is to 1) increase teachers’ salaries, 2) increase accountability among public educational institutions and 3) reward high-performing teachers.

How is the money used?

Money from this fund must be used to supplement and may not be used for administrative purposes.  It must be used for the following areas:

• Base Salary: May only be used for teacher base salary increases and teacher employment related expenses.
• Performance Pay: May only be used for performance-based teacher compensation increases
• Other: May only be used for class size reduction, teacher compensation increase, assessment intervention programs, teacher development, dropout prevention programs, teacher liability insurance premiums, and student support services.

Who is eligible to receive Classroom Site Fund?

SUSD identifies employees based on the Attorney General opinion which defines certified staff as “any person who is required to possess an AZ certificate and is placed on the teacher salary schedule.”  SB1130 also includes student support services, which may include Social Workers, Guidance Counselors, Nurses, Psychologists, Speech/Language Pathologists, and Occupational/Physical Therapists.

Who decided how to allocate the money for SUSD?

State statue dictates how Classroom Site Fund dollars are allocated. Representatives of all SUSD employee discuss salary related issues.

How much of Classroom Site Fund goes into SUSD teachers’ salaries?

Approximately 8% of the base salary of each individual on the certified salary schedule is funded Classroom Site Fund dollars. In addition, they can receive a performance stipend funded out of Classroom Site Fund. Performance Pay Fund based on SUSD’s performance plan.