Funding for public schools makes up a significant portion of the state’s general fund budget. AZ Schools Now, which represents many of the constituencies most closely impacted by education policies and budgets, believes the voices of parents, teachers, faith leaders, and children’s advocates must be part of the education budget process. Since legislative leadership did not schedule a single public hearing on the FY18 budget, AZ Schools Now stepped up to provide Arizonans a chance to weigh in. Community hearings were held in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff to solicit public testimony on the K-12 public education budget proposals put forward by Governor Doug Ducey and others.