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Arizona charter schools turn 20 boasting of higher test scores, greater options
Nestled between a taco shop, a gas station and a church lies the Gilbert campus of Leading Edge Academy. A former Albertsons grocery store on the strip mall is what the small public school calls home.
Arizona awarded $24 million to boost charter schools
The Arizona Department of Education will use a federal grant to support new and expanding charter schools.
South Phoenix charter school doesn’t let student demographics dictate expectations
The students of Phoenix Collegiate Academy are used to high expectations. “Our students come to school at 7:30. They’re late if they’re there at 7:31,” said Rachel Bennett Yanof, the charter school’s executive director.
Administrative bloat? Republican lawmaker sets sights on school tax credit organizations
Within days of the new fiscal year’s commencement on July 1, the Arizona Department of Revenue announced that Arizona businesses had claimed more than $51 million in tax credits for their donations to School Tuition Organizations. The state had reached the legal cap on the tax credits in lightning-fast fashion.
State Supreme Court quells charter schools’ bid for more funding
The Arizona Supreme Court ended the nearly six-year bid by charter schools today to get funding for their students on a par with students from traditional public schools.
State officials say district-sponsored charter schools have no reason to worry
Several district-sponsored charter schools were in a panic about the possibility that because lawmakers omitted a line in the state budget, they could be on the hook to repay the state millions of dollars of funding from previous years.
Educators say legislative budget error could cost district charter schools millions
When lawmakers approved the state budget in March, they accidentally left out one key part. Because of the omission, several longstanding district-sponsored charter schools – public schools that have reorganized as charter schools to capture more state funding – will be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in back payments.
Education Department to seek guidance on cuts affecting smaller schools
The Department of Education will ask the attorney general this week to issue a formal opinion on cuts to funds that support smaller schools.
ADE says cuts to charter schools higher than previously estimated
Cuts to one component of charter schools’ funding are higher than what lawmakers had assumed when they phased out additional support for small schools, the Arizona Education Department announced today.
Ducey says new charter school loan program details coming
Legislation implementing Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's plan to use state cash to back loans taken out by charter schools is still being polished, despite his budget including $24 million for the plan, he said Monday.
Beyond fliers: Schools develop new techniques to cope in a competitive world
School choice has fostered competition, and with that has come student recruitment, growing marketing budgets and branding for public schools.
Room to expand: the pros and cons of Ducey plan for vacant schoolrooms
For some Arizona charter school operators, Gov. Doug Ducey’s proposal to allow high-performing schools with large wait lists to use other schools’ vacant facilities was a big step toward achieving a persistent goal.
