In a paper released by the Goldwater Institute on December 18, 2008, "A Fresh Start for Arizona: Proposals for Closing a Billion-Dollar Budget Gap," Byron Schlomach puts forth recommendations for closing the deficit in the state government general fund. The following notes are an attempt to illustrate the consequences of the spending reductions recommended by Dr. Schlomach, along with some considerations about the philosophy apparently embodied in the recommendations.

Students FIRST (Fair and Immediate Resources for Students Today) was enacted July 9, 1998. This paper will focus on (1) the facts and direct rationale behind the payment for K-12 school construction from a pool of current general fund dollars, as mandated in the Students FIRST provisions; and (2) the implications and logical consequences of bonding versus paying for capital improvements with cash on an annual basis. 'Track 1' designates the status quo strategy of cash payment for capital improvements, while 'Track 2' represents a strategy for bonding that distributes the costs of the projects to taxpayers over the course of their useful life.