House panel approves major overhaul of K-12 funding in Arizona

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - A major overhaul of large parts of Arizona’s K-12 school funding formula got last-minute approval in the House Appropriations Committee.

It's a proposal that would eliminate the current results-based funding system that allocates extra money to district schools whose students perform well on standardized tests.

It would also cut extra cash that goes to experienced teachers and another pot of money that helps boost teacher pay. 

In exchange, the state will add $170 million per year to the basic funding formula for all schools, but distribute the money in a different way. 

In the end, public charter schools would be major winners, while traditional district schools would see a mixed bag of funding increases and cuts.

The newly-revealed proposal has drawn major opposition from some school funding experts who say rolling out large changes to the system that funds education for 1.1 million public school students at the last minute is a recipe for disaster.