More than 700 Arizona school repair projects that districts have asked the state to pay for were still waiting for money as of August, ABC15 reported Friday, citing state data. Together they would cost close to $300 million, and the oldest has been in line since September 2023.
The grants are handed out by the School Facilities Division of the Arizona Department of Administration under the School Facilities Oversight Board. They cover building work such as roofs, air conditioning and boilers.
Lawmakers have put $200 million a year into the program in recent years. Scott Thompson, who chairs the oversight board, told the station that amount is not enough.
"I don't think anybody that's involved, whether it's staff or the board, likes where we're at, but we're just trying to do the best with the dollars we have," he said, adding that he worries the public does not see how critical some needs have become.
One district's list
Mesa Public Schools offered an example. Tyler Moore, the district's chief business officer, said a long-leaking roof at Carson Junior High worsened badly in September 2025, and the district's request was moved to the front once it became an emergency.
He said the district carries over $1 billion of repair and replacement needs across its buildings and has an application pending to replace a boiler more than 40 years old.
