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funding

all-day kindergarten, half-day kindergarten, Hobbs, ESA
Sep 1, 2023

Arizona has more work to do to fund public schools equitably

As students in Phoenix and across the country continue to reel from the effects of the Covid pandemic, there has been a lot of conversation about the importance of students receiving the education funding they need. By March 2021, the federal government had committed an unprecedented $190 billion in extra funds to public schools—but by most measures, students are still far behind their pre-pande[...]

Mayes, Horne, ELL, Ukraine, guns
Jul 17, 2023

Schools using 50-50 Dual Immersion Model to teach ELL not at risk of losing funds

Schools using the 50-50 Dual Immersion Model to teach English Language Learners are no longer at risk of losing funds, despite threats from the Arizona Department of Education.

school funding, Ducey, Hobbs, School Facilities Board, Dewain Fox, Maricopa County Superior Court, Secretary of State, Bowers, Fann, Hebert, Supreme Court, building schools, maintenance, air conditioning, roofs
Dec 9, 2022

It’s time to address school spending limit

We should not wait any longer – the Legislature must take up the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL) as soon as possible to ensure our schools have budget certainty.

Mar 2, 2022

Auditor: Not all teachers got 20% raise

Arizona schools have not lived up to the 2018 school year promise to increase teacher pay by 20% by this past year.  A new report by the state Auditor General’s Office found that statewide average salaries are up just 16.5%, or $7,977 a year. And just 87 of the 205 school districts actually hit or […]

the Zone, homeless, homelessness, City of Phoenix, appeal, court order
Feb 22, 2022

Homelessness finds bipartisan shelter in Senate committee

Republicans are showing a new interest in addressing homelessness this session by supporting legislation previously championed by Democrats as five bills passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday, including one that could see $100 million put into the Housing Trust Fund.   The bills were brought by Sen. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix, Sen. David Livingston, R-Peoria, and […]

Feb 21, 2022

Senate OKs raise to AEL

The Senate mustered enough votes today to sidestep massive cuts to public school funding.  After several weeks of inaction, the Senate passed legislation 23-6 to raise a spending cap on school monies that would have prevented Arizona schools from accessing more than $1 billion the Legislature allocated to them last summer.   The resolution to […]

Feb 9, 2022

Senate panel OKs massive school-voucher expansion

  Republican lawmakers took the first steps Tuesday to approve what would be the largest-ever increase in who can get a voucher of state funds to attend private and parochial schools.  On a party-line 5-3 vote, members of the Senate Education Committee agreed to vastly expand a program first created a decade ago as providing […]

Feb 3, 2022

Business needs quick action on school funding

Just like businesses, schools must have a predictable budget as they plan their operations. Unfortunately, schools are at an immediate, grave risk of losing more than a billion dollars. This is not new funding, but funding that was already appropriated by the governor and Legislature last year. Our elected officials must come together and fix […]

Jan 14, 2022

Treasury: Arizona risks relief funds over anti-mandate rules

The Biden administration is threatening to recoup COVID-19 relief funds sent to Arizona over state provisions that it says discourage families and school districts from following federal guidance recommending face coverings in schools. At issue are two state programs meant to help schools and students but direct funding away from jurisdictions with mask requirements. Arizona’s […]

education, funding, K-12, Bolding, Bowers, Fann, Kathy Hoffman, Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Ducey, constitutional spending limit, budget cuts, Ducey, AEL, Bowie, Lake, Hobbs, Democrats, Republicans, legislature, November election
Apr 5, 2021

Lawmaker urges schools chief to tap relief funds

The head of the House Education Committee wants the Department of Education to turn loose $85 million to help forestall anticipated teacher layoffs.

Mar 24, 2021

The quiet campaign to forget rural communities

To my friends and neighbors in rural communities, I would like to draw your attention to an action by the federal government that has communities like ours in its crosshairs. Federal regulators are hoping that rural communities will fail to notice what they are doing. In Arizona this list includes Flagstaff, Prescott, and Sierra Vista.

Oct 29, 2020

Deploying body-worn cameras – next steps for DPS

On September 30, 2020, Gov. Doug Ducey announced a plan to deploy 150 body-worn cameras (BWCs) to troopers in the Arizona Department of Public Safety. This is an excellent first step for DPS to join the thousands of other law enforcement agencies across the United States that have already deployed BWCs. BWCs can produce numerous benefits, from improved citizen attitudes to reductions in complaints[...]