Doug Ducey Misuses American Resucue Plan Act Dollars

Governor Ducey has described himself as “pro-parent,” but research done by Arizona State University has found that K-12 schools in Maricopa and Pima county without a mask requirement are 3.5 times more likely to have a COVID-19 outbreak [1].

Now Arizona taxpayers could be on the hook for over $100M in federal relief funds because the Governor misused American Rescue Plan dollars by giving school districts up to $1,800 per pupil in grants if they did not adopt a mask mandate [2].

Democrats are working hard to distribute American Rescue Plan funds to Arizona families without political bias.

“We are concerned that two recently created Arizona grant programs undermine evidence-based efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo in a letter to Governor Ducey on Tuesday.

The Governor withholding funds from schools that passed mask mandates in defiance of a law that a judge struck down in September is just another example of the Ducey administration’s inability to effectively confront the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to deliver a Democratic majority to protect our children.

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 30). Association between K–12 school mask policies and school-associated covid-19 outbreaks - Maricopa and Pima counties, Arizona, July–August 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7039e1

[2] Governor Ducey announces $163 million to increase per pupil funding in schools. Office of the Arizona Governor. (2021, August 17). Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2021/08/governor-ducey-announces-163-million-increase-pupil-funding-schools.