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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[...]
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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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.
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[...]
