EVIT Misinformation Clarification

May 19 2026

The nine districts are calling out EVIT Superintendent Chad Wilson for spreading misinformation and attempting to unnecessarily scare families and students about the future of Career and Technical Education programs.

The districts have consistently supported CTE programs and have continued fully funding and operating classes on their own campuses throughout this dispute, while EVIT retained millions of dollars due to the nine districts. At no point have the districts sought to eliminate student opportunities or dismantle EVIT. Instead, the districts have fought to protect students, local classrooms, and taxpayer dollars intended for instruction.

The districts believe EVIT has acted as a bad actor throughout this process by refusing to provide meaningful financial transparency while simultaneously demanding more control and more money from local districts. EVIT sought to retain significantly more funding generated by students attending classes on district campuses, diverting dollars away from teachers, equipment, labs, and on-campus instruction to support increased administrative costs at EVIT.

The lack of a contract between the nine districts and EVIT, a result of EVIT’s refusal to collaborate, has created a situation where the districts have no choice but to look for options that provide the best educational opportunities for every child, in every school.

CLARIFICATION OF MISCOMMUNICATION

EVIT Claim	District’s Position
Districts are choosing not to transport students.	Transportation is not a normal part of CTE systems across Arizona, and EVIT board members do not have authority over local district transportation decisions. Districts cannot pull millions away from classrooms and local programs to backfill transportation costs while EVIT retains funding that should cover those costs.
	Without a new IGA, EVIT retains 100% of state CTE funding for students attending Main and Power campuses, while districts receive 0% for those students. For satellite programs run on district campuses, districts already carry the costs for teachers, equipment, labs, maintenance, and operations.
EVIT’s proposal is reasonable.	EVIT attempted to increase its share of state funding from roughly 13% to as much as 30%. This is funding created by district students on district campuses not attending EVIT, without clearly explaining the need for, or use of the additional costs or services.
Districts are withholding cooperation.	Districts repeatedly requested mediation and financial transparency for more than a year, and EVIT refused until ordered into mediation by the court.
Districts simply do not want to support EVIT.	Districts continue supporting EVIT credits for graduation and remain committed to student access to CTE opportunities. At this time, their concern is protecting local classrooms, local control, and ensuring student-generated dollars stay with students. Evidence of their commitment, throughout the last school year, as EVIT retained the districts share of state funding, the nine districts carried the full cost to ensure their students saw no interruption in CTE programming.
Districts can just use local funding for transportation.	Funding for transportation is not included in state funding for CTE. Districts have provided that out of their support for all students argue that would force them to divert money away from classroom instruction, equipment replacement, staffing, and student programs on their own campuses while EVIT already receives direct state funding for Main and Power campus students.
EVIT is simply trying to grow programs.	Based on the limited information provided by EVIT, it is seeking broader control over local district programs, including influence over what programs districts may offer, how funding is distributed, and how local funds are spent.
EVIT can legally retain the funding.	In May 2026, the Court ruled EVIT cannot retain funding unless it directly supports district satellite programs or provides services to those programs.
Districts caused the conflict.	Districts say the lawsuit was filed after EVIT refused mediation, sought to sharply increase retained funding, and allegedly held approximately $8 million owed to districts while districts continued paying full operating costs for local CTE programs.
Districts are not investing in CTE.	Districts funding supports welding equipment, engineering and biomedical sciences programs, ventilation systems, refrigeration replacement, computer labs, buses, faculty contracts, and emergency equipment replacement planning.

EVIT