On Wednesday, the Arizona Supreme Court returned the Invest In Education initiative to the November ballot, unanimously overturning a lower court ruling earlier.
“Today’s ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court keeping Invest in Education on the November ballot is an important victory because it gives millions of Arizona voters the opportunity to put more resources into our schools,” Amber Gould, chairwoman of the Invest in Education campaign, said in a statement.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the initiative’s 100-word description “did not create a significant danger of confusion or unfairness.”
A July 31 ruling from a Maricopa County Supreme Court judge said the description was inaccurate.
The Arizona Supreme Court’s decision now requires the initiative to be placed in the general election publicity pamphlet and on the general election ballot.
The initial lawsuit filed against the initiative alleged that 436,000 voters who signed petitions to qualify the measure for the ballot were misled and petition circulators were paid per signature.
The proposed initiative would impose a 3.5% tax surcharge on income above $250,000 for an individual or above $500,000 for couples. The effort is expected to raise about $940 million a year for schools. The initiative is backed by educators and the state teachers union.
“Today’s decision is a disappointment,” Jaime Molera, the leader of the campaign against the initiative, said in a statement.
The initiative is what many feel is the answer to the teachers strike two years ago that brought to attention the low wages for educators and the need for a rebound from budget cuts enacted during the Great Recession.
The initiative will be on the November General Election ballot as Proposition 210. Click here for more information on Proposition 210 – Invest in Education.
