Teachers won’t fall for governor’s claim of ‘new money’
When 60,000 students are without a full-time, certified teacher due to our state’s crushing teacher shortage, Arizona is clearly not living up to its obligation of providing a quality public education to our children.
Teachers union takes Ducey to task for pay raises for aides
Arizona’s teachers union called for a 20 percent pay raise for all educators in the state, arguing that if it’s good enough for Gov. Doug Ducey’s deputies, it’s good enough for teachers.
House Republican leader: Teachers get second jobs to buy boats, enjoy finer things in life
Teachers in Arizona are getting second jobs not because they’re struggling to survive on their low pay, but because they want to enjoy the finer things in life, like boats, according to House Majority Leader John Allen.
Democrats’ conundrum: support or oppose the school finance deal
Each year without failure since the onset of the Great Recession, Democrats have denounced cuts to public education and clamored for more funding for K-12 schools, a demand that has gotten louder as the state’s economy improves.
Classrooms First Council wants K-12 formula overhaul, but details are scarce
Gov. Doug Ducey’s Classrooms First Council, which is charged with overhauling the formulas used to fund public schools, ended its grand unveiling of its finding with more questions than answers. But its members did agree on several broad priorities, including somehow finding a way to equalize the funding formulas between district and charter schools.
Despite pleas and promises, state can’t deliver on school funding settlement
Before leaving office, former Gov. Jan Brewer urged Arizona lawmakers to settle a nearly $2 billion dispute over inflation funding for K-12 education. Gov. Doug Ducey, in his State of the State address in January, pleaded with lawmakers to settle the case as well.
House Appropriations revives bill that would make ‘ballot harvesting’ a felony
Saying the tactic is ripe for ballot fraud, Republican lawmakers are determined to criminalize a get-out-the-vote technique that Democrats, teachers’ unions and Latino organizations have used to increase voter turnout in mostly minority, Democratic neighborhoods.
New schools chief won’t make dramatic changes to Common Core, top aide says
Superintendent of Public Instruction-elect Diane Douglas isn’t planning on immediately overhauling the state’s learning standards, her new chief of staff said.
Arizona schools look overseas for teachers to fill vacant positions
Shannon Goodsell looked all over the state this spring for teachers to fill vacancies at Casa Grande Union High School District, where he is superintendent, but still came up short.
Budget hole: AZ lawmakers face tough decisions after school funding ruling
Arizona lawmakers will likely spend the 2015 legislative session grappling with where to find hundreds of millions of dollars more than they’ve budgeted for education over the next five years.
Schools chief increases voucher payments, lawsuit likely
Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal decided today that all students in a program that provides taxpayer dollars for private education will be funded at higher levels than traditional public school kids.
Education committee OKs school voucher-like program
A House committee on Monday approved one of two small expansions of a voucher-like program that allows students to use public funds for a private education.