My leadership motto is, “All decisions will be made in the best interests of students.” On my signature is a bee.

President Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education elevated the profile of parents that choose how and where their child learns. Prior to her appointment, Ms. DeVos was the chairman of one of the nation’s most active organizations that supported quality learning options for students, the American Federation for Children.

The state Department of Education is warning that schools may not get their $5 billion in federal and state aid next school year unless the governor and legislature come up with more cash to run the computers that figure out who gets what.

The $17 million in School Facilities Board funding that Ducey included in his executive budget plan won’t hold off a long-planned lawsuit over dollars for K-12 building maintenance and renewal.

In a poorly-financed education system, Arizona teachers are battling low salaries, the pressures of mandatory testing and a lack of respect for their profession, making it harder for the state to entice and retain teachers, advocates say. One Paradise Valley mentoring program is trying to grow teachers at home and repair a broken pipeline.

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin wants to increase internet access in rural schools and libraries by adding to a small fee paid by customers on their phone bills.

A council empaneled by Gov. Doug Ducey to reform Arizona’s school funding formula released a set of ambitious recommendations. But exactly how they are to be achieved, how they will be funded and what steps the governor will take in the upcoming legislative session remain to be seen.

State officials welcomed final regulations for the federal school policy that will replace the troubled No Child Left Behind program, which give states more flexibility to determine school success and which schools are falling behind.

Local administrators and educators are utilizing creative techniques to deal with Arizona’s chronic teacher shortage from a recruitment perspective as well as how to use the limited supply of qualified teachers in the most effective way.

Arizona’s letter-grading system to measure how well schools are teaching students is on hold while the state school board makes changes.