School Funding Is on the Ballot Across the Country. Here’s How

Spotlight on: Arizona, Proposition 320

Support needed to pass: Simple majority

What would change if it passes: Roughly half of Arizona’s 200 school districts—those with at least 7,500 students and all those in the state's three most populous counties regardless of enrollment—would be required to spend at least 60% of their annual operating budgets on “direct instructional expenses.” Districts that fall short would lose certain state funding in future years.

How K-12 schools would be affected: According to state data, many districts that would be subject to these requirements currently spend significantly less than 60% of their operating budgets on the category of expenses called “direct instruction.” Meanwhile, some expenses that fall under the broader category of “classroom” would likely not count as “direct instruction,” including special education providers and instructional coaches.

Also worth watching: New Hampshire voters will consider whether to restrict school districts from devoting more than 6% of their operating budgets to administrative costs (see below).

Spotlight on: Florida, Amendment 3

Support needed to pass: 60%

What would change if it passes: The homestead exemption for most property taxes would increase, and the maximum annual rate of increase for nonschool taxes on commercial buildings and rentals would drop from 10% to 5%.

How K-12 schools would be affected: Property taxes for school districts themselves wouldn’t change—but the reduced property tax revenue would affect other school-related priorities funded with public dollars, including libraries, child care centers, and before- and after-school programming. Proponents of a separate measure to renew a tax levy for the Miami-Dade County school system are also concerned that the presence of the broader property tax measure on the ballot could depress support for the levy renewal as well.

Also worth watching: Property and income tax revenues that flow to public schools could be reduced if voters approve measures on the ballots in Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.

Spotlight on: New Hampshire, Question 2

Support needed to pass: A simple majority of local school district voters

What would change if it passes: Unlike the above items, this isn’t a single statewide measure. Rather, every voter in the state will face the question of whether to cap local taxes and administrative costs for the school district where they live. For school districts where the measure passes, annual taxes could only increase by the current rate of inflation—far lower than the rate of increase many districts implemented earlier this year.

How K-12 schools would be affected: Districts where the measure passes would first be required to reduce their administrative expenses to just 6% of their overall budgets. They might also have to make further cuts to avoid raising taxes beyond the rate of inflation. The local cap would expire in two years, at which point voters would have to decide whether to renew it.

Also worth watching: Missouri lawmakers passed a similar measure earlier this year to put local tax caps on primary ballots; voters in several counties opted for the caps.

Spotlight on: Washington state, Initiative 645

Support needed to pass: Simple majority

What would change if it passes: State lawmakers in March approved a 9.9% tax on household income above $1 million, to take effect for the 2028 tax year. Initiative 645 would repeal the tax before it takes effect. Washington state currently has no state income tax.

How K-12 schools would be affected: Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, has floated using revenue from the tax to cover, among other expenses, free school breakfast and lunch for all the state’s public K-12 students. A similar tax in Massachusetts, meanwhile, has raised billions of dollars for schools and other priorities since taking effect in 2023.

Also worth watching: California voters will consider, among a slew of other measures with tax-policy implications, whether to impose a one-time tax on billionaires, equivalent to 5% of their net worth.

Spotlight on: Colorado, Proposition NN

What would change if it passes: The measure would effectively unlock $4.6 billion in revenue the state has already collected and allow the state to spend that money on public schools rather than refund it to taxpayers.

How K-12 schools would be affected: Lawmakers have talked about directing the money toward teacher pay, class-size reduction, and career-technical education programs. The state might also be able to use the additional funds to speed up implementation of the new education funding formula it approved in 2024.

Also worth watching: Minnesota has a similar measure asking voters whether the state should maximize schools' collections from a permanent fund comprising public land trust revenue. Districts across the country are also collectively asking voters to approve $53 billion in investments through bonds.