Arizona Proposition 320 on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: the official question, and the terms it leaves to the Auditor General

The descriptive title and both effect statements for Arizona Proposition 320, with the undefined terms identified in the source note.

Proposition 320 is the statewide school-spending measure in the Arizona ballot index. The descriptive title below and both effect statements are reproduced from the Secretary of State’s 2026 Ballot Language.

Proposition 320: descriptive title as published

REQUIRES CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO SPEND AT LEAST SIXTY PERCENT OF THEIR OPERATIONAL SPENDING ON DIRECT INSTRUCTIONAL EXPENSES AS DEFINED BY THE AUDITOR GENERAL; REDUCES CERTAIN STATE FUNDING FOR NON-COMPLIANT DISTRICTS.

2026 Ballot Language, page 8

Effect of a yes vote

A “yes” vote shall have the effect of: (1) requiring school districts with 7,500 or more students in any county or that operate in a county with 500,000 or more people to spend at least 60% of their operational spending on direct instructional expenses; (2) requiring the state Auditor General to define “operational spending” and “direct instructional expenses”; (3) requiring non-compliant school districts to gradually adjust their spending each year until they are in compliance; and (4) requiring the state Department of Education to reduce funding from the state Classroom Site Fund by 25% each year for non-compliant districts, subject to limited waivers that the state Superintendent of Public Instruction may authorize.

2026 Ballot Language, page 8

Effect of a no vote

A “no” vote shall have the effect of maintaining the current laws governing school district budgets.

2026 Ballot Language, page 8

Terms left to the Auditor General

The measure leaves 'operational spending' and 'direct instructional expenses' for the Auditor General to define; as of 2026-10-05 no definition has been published.

DistrictFacts publishes the Auditor General’s existing operational-spending-per-student field on Arizona district profiles. It is a different measure; this article does not set it against the proposition’s threshold.

Look up your district

The Arizona ballot page carries the statewide measure separately from district questions. The DistrictFacts ballot page is at districtfacts.com/az/ballot-2026/.

Before and after the vote

This article reproduces language published before the November 3, 2026 vote and reports no result.

What this does not tell you

The published language leaves key terms to the Auditor General. This article does not count districts against either eligibility test or forecast a funding reduction. This is not an estimate of a tax bill or what a question would cost a household. DistrictFacts does not recommend how to vote on any question.

This report was generated from public records by the DistrictFacts Data Desk. The quoted language is read from Arizona Secretary of State’s 2026 Ballot Language, retrieved October 5, 2026. None of the figures was typed by hand. The method is described on the DistrictFacts methodology page, and a correction can be requested from this story.

Sources

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