Arizona’s $19 Billion Land Trust Fails Schools Due to Outdated Rules
Arizona’s State Land Trust holds 11 million acres meant to fund education, yet mismanagement has cost the state billions. The land, valued at an estimated $19 billion, generates just $8.40 per acre annually for schools. Now, experts argue that updating outdated rules could unlock massive revenue for both education and housing development.
The trust’s 8 million acres earmarked for K-12 schools produce very little income due to Arizona’s strict management laws. Between 33% and 45% of this land sits within five miles of cities and towns, with 276,700 acres located inside a 10-mile radius of urban areas. Despite its prime location, the trust’s current structure limits sales and investment opportunities.
Arizona’s current land trust rules restrict economic growth and leave education funding far below potential. With reforms, the state could transform idle land into billions for schools and housing. The next steps depend on lawmakers revising policies to allow more flexible land management.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
