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District and Goldwater Institute in interim deal
A suburban Phoenix school district has agreed to stop spending money from a special bond while a judge reviews a complaint from the Goldwater Institute that it is violating voter intent.
K-12 schools bracing for cuts
The cuts public schools will face next year are smaller than Senate Republicans initially proposed, but probably aren’t small enough to prevent teacher layoffs and school closings, according to some school officials.
Survey change likely means more ELL students for school districts
School districts are likely to see increases in English-language learners and the costs associated with the program after the federal government demanded that Arizona change a survey it uses to screen students, school officials and observers say.
Sacrifice and restructuring needed to improve education in Arizona
As any parent will tell you, doing the right thing for your kids is not always easy. Providing them with the support they need to succeed requires a lot of effort on our part as the adults. Making sure homework gets done or attending early morning parent-teacher conferences can be an inconvenience, but they are critical to our kids’ academic success. The same is true in education reform.
School unification committee gets broad support
When a slate of school district unification and consolidation ballot measures went down in flames in 2008, the movement appeared dead. But with Arizona reeling from deficit, advocates of unification are hoping that cost-conscious lawmakers will look at the proposal in a new light.
Bigger rebates may not ease some homeowners’ pain
The delicate balancing act involved in changing Arizona’s property tax structure will leave some homeowners paying higher property taxes.
Schools worry about property tax cuts thinning financial safety net
When the property-tax cuts in the jobs bill go into effect, the financial safety net school districts use may get significantly thinner. And the property tax cuts will be especially problematic for districts that already have reached or exceeded their bonding limits.
House committee OKs bill to force school procedures on bullying
Rep. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix introduced a bill calling for disciplinary action against school employees, from administrators to teachers to janitors, who fail to file detailed reports about bullying. The bill also would allow parents and students to fill out forms to report incidents of bullying. It would require schools to contact emergency services, including police and paramedics, when appropri[...]
On the Brink: School districts fear largest ever payment deferral will mean financial ruin
As they grapple with an unrelenting fiscal crisis for the third year in a row, Arizona’s policymakers have increasingly turned to an accounting maneuver to stave off crippling cuts to education.
Education bills filed in legislature
Of the 841 bills filed by lawmakers as of 5 p.m. Jan. 26, more than 10 percent deal in some way with education-related issues. A total of 97 education bills have been filed in the two chambers. For a listing and status of all the bills filed so far in the First Regular Session of the 50th Legislature, see our bill summaries in Section B. Bill titles courtesy of Arizona Capitol Reports.
Kavanagh bill targets ASBA’s district fees, politicking
Rep. John Kavanagh, who backed this year's ballot measure to sweep hundreds of millions of dollars from a childhood development agency, has a message for an education group that opposed the effort: You don’t kick a hornet’s nest without risking a sting.
Huppenthal’s plan on teacher salaries gets an ‘F’
I heard John Huppenthal on the news recently and, as a teacher, I am afraid by what I heard. I am afraid for my job and my students.
