School Participatory Budgeting in Arizona
Why it matters
We need strong and vibrant civic health to move forward on solving problems and building a bright future for our state. Evidence and experience have shown that the health of our democracy and civic life is linked to our broader individual and community well-being in meaningful ways. We know that more connected communities are more economically resilient, individuals who participate in civic life have greater access to opportunity and well-being, and policies are more responsive when everyone is engaged. Driven by this deep commitment to civic health, CFA’s School Participatory Budgeting (SPB) initiative is an innovative approach to equipping, engaging, and empowering our rising generation to be active and informed participants in civic life.
How it works
SPB in Arizona is an innovative civic learning tool designed to improve student agency, collaboration and critical-thinking skills and prepare young people to be active, informed, and engaged participants in civic life for the long-term. Students “learn democracy by doing” through a process of participating in SPB steering committees on campus, developing proposals, and voting to fund improvement projects that build stronger school communities.
The school model stems from the widely adopted municipal Participatory Budgeting (PB) model - a democratic process in which community members decide how to spend a portion of the public budget.
CFA provides training and support to our partners to implement a year-long process, led by students working alongside their educators and the community. Students work together through a process of curating ideas, developing proposals, and participating in a campus-wide vote that educates students on real electoral processes.
Our impact
- Engaged thousands of Arizona students across 80 campuses in 18 school districts
- Registered 9,000+ students to vote through Vote Day partnerships with local elections officials and voter engagement organizations
- Encouraged $1,000,000+ public dollars invested in 220+ student-developed school improvement projects
- Engaged 2,000+ students in SPB Steering Committees
- Supported 200+ educators to facilitate & implement SPB at their schools
- Empowers students to discover their agency and collective voice
- Emboldens students in decision-making processes
- Fortifies youth-adult partnerships
- Builds critical thinking and communication skills
- Creates meaningful solutions to everyday problems
- Mirrors actual voting processes and prepares young people to be lifelong civic participants
Resource Library
General
Fact Sheet: School Participatory Budgeting In Arizona
The fact sheet showcases Arizona’s School Participatory Budgeting initiative, where students learn democracy by funding school improvement projects.
DownloadSchool Participatory Budgeting: A Toolkit for Inclusive Practice
This PDF is a toolkit on making School Participatory Budgeting more inclusive for all students.
DownloadSchool Participatory Budgeting: Evaluation Toolkit
Offers frameworks, methods, and resources to evaluate SPB processes, participant impact, and process effectiveness.
Download40 FAQs: School Participatory Budgeting
This document compiles 40 FAQs about School Participatory Budgeting, helping provide guidance on getting started with the process.
DownloadEvaluation Reports
2022-23 Roosevelt Elementary Evaluation Report
Provides an in-depth evaluation of the Roosevelt Elementary School District (RSD) School Participatory Budgeting (SPB) pilot process during the 2022-23 school year.
Download2022-23 Roosevelt Elementary Evaluation Report Overview
Provides an overview of the Roosevelt Elementary School District's (RSD) School Participatory Budgeting (SPB) pilot process during the 2022-23 school year.
Download2023-24 Chandler Unified Evaluation Report
This report highlights Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) student and educator reflections on SPB from the Academic Year 2023-24.
Download2023-24 Flagstaff Unified Evaluation Report
This report highlights Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) educators' reflections on SPB from the Academic Year 2023-24.
Download2023-24 Queen Creek Unified Evaluation Report
This report highlights Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD) educators' reflections on SPB from the Academic Year 2023-24.
Download2023-24 Roosevelt Elementary Evaluation Report
This report highlights Roosevelt Elementary School District's (RSD) student and educator reflections on SPB from the Academic Year 2023-24.
Download2023-24 Educator Perspective Report
This report provides an overview of educator and school leader experiences implementing the School Participatory Budgeting (School PB) process in Arizona during the Academic Year 2023-24.
DownloadStakeholder Videos
Our Partners
District Partners
- Chandler Unified School District
- Phoenix Union High School District
- Sunnyside Unified School District
- Queen Creek Unified School District
- Roosevelt Elementary School District
- Casa Grande Elementary School District
- Flagstaff Unified School District
- Higley Unified School District
School Partners
- Carson Junior High School, Mesa Public Schools
- Emerson Elementary School, Phoenix Elementary School District
- Arcadia High School, Scottsdale Unified School District
- Williams High School, Williams Unified School District
- Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy, Cartwright Elementary School District
- Starline Elementary School, Lake Havasu Unified School District
- West Point High School, Tolleson Union High School District
- Wellton Elementary School, Wellton Elementary School District
- Gila Vista Junior High School, Yuma Elementary District
- Gilbert Classical Academy, Gilbert Public Schools
- Challenge Charter School
Arizona Partners
- Arizona State University Participatory Governance Initiative
- Arizona State University Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation
National Partners
- Participatory Budgeting Project
Key Funders
- Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
- The Steele Foundation
- United States Department of Education
Contact Us
We are actively seeking new school and district partners. If you’re interested in bringing School Participatory Budgeting to your school community, fill out our interest form or email [email protected].
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