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Be on winning team that supports voting ‘yes’ to renew SUSD’s funding
Being a winning sports team takes commitment from the entire organization, starting from the top down. School boards are no different. Unfortunately, Scottsdale Unified School District is currently fighting leadership and outside groups that DO NOT support public education and make it a point to spread misinformation that is detrimental to our schools and community.
The crisis hiding in plain sight? Advocating for 1.2+ million students facing homelessness
In 1988, about 1% of U.S. families were experiencing homelessness. Today, that number has grown to 34%. Since 2004, the number of students experiencing homelessness has risen by 63%. In a 2022 report from The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), it was reported that 1,280,886 students experienced homelessness during the 2019-2020 school year, which represented 2.5% of all students enroll[...]
Horne files suit to get court to rule schools not using ‘structured English immersion’ violating law
Hoping to force the issue, state schools chief Tom Horne filed suit late Wednesday to get a court to rule that any school that doesn't use "structured English immersion'' to teach students who are not proficient is violating the law.
ESA program added almost 50,000 students in the past year, state reports
The state added nearly 12,000 students to the Empowerment Scholarship Account program in the last quarter, bringing total enrollment to 61,689 at the end of June and renewing debates about the costs and benefits of the program.
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[...]
Fact-checking Save Our Schools on vouchers
Save Our Schools Arizona is among the most prominent opponents of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or vouchers. However, certain of their talking points are inconsistent with facts from reputable sources.
Alternative micro-school fails to meet zoning laws
Tia Howard wanted to start her own micro-school. So, she contracted with a curriculum provider, found a piece of rural residential land, signed a contract and made a $5,000 deposit. But Howard soon found Pinal County’s zoning code does not account for micro-schools. And per an interpretation from the county, a micro-school would be barred from rural residential land as it does not fall under the[...]
Wadsack, Hobbs disagree over meeting tied to vouchers
A member of the legislative Freedom Caucus is boasting that she's getting a meeting with Gov. Katie Hobbs, a meeting she said will let her explain to the governor the virtues of making vouchers of taxpayer dollars available to all parents so their children can attend private and parochial schools.
Attempts to curtail universal ESA program fail
In the first legislative session following the universal expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, attempts to curtail or enact further oversight for the program fell flat.
Hobbs cites new cost estimates for vouchers in attempt to convince lawmakers to scale back program
Gov. Katie Hobbs is citing new cost estimates for universal vouchers in her latest bid to convince lawmakers to scale back the new program.
Mayes warns parents removing children from public schools for voucher program could victimize them
The state's top prosecutor is warning parents that pulling their children out of public schools to take advantage of the new universal voucher program could make them the victims of bias, with no legal recourse.
Lying about universal ESA vouchers won’t hide the truth
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” This political propaganda technique is the playbook for special interests pushing school vouchers in Arizona. But the “big lie” only works as long as its consequences remain hidden — and when it comes to vouchers, Arizona has entered the “lie big and find out” phase.
