New legislation given preliminary approval by the Arizona House would hand over the operations of the 180 Arizona schools that received a D or F rating in 2019 to a high-performing school, be replaced by a “Fresh Start” charter school or shut them down if they don’t improve. ... Read more»
Gov. Doug Ducey said Thursday that the state’s use of money to support schools that reject mask mandates is “well within” federal guidelines for the funds, despite a Treasury Department threat to take the money back - but Arizona educators said the governor needs to back down.... Read more»
Education activists have kicked off a campaign to ask voters to roll back Arizona's latest tax cuts for the wealthy, saying that they want to protect last year's passage of a tax increase for schools.... Read more»
The Arizona House of Representatives wrapped up work Friday on a $12.8 billion budget that dramatically overhauls the state’s income tax code, shields some wealthy Arizonans from paying a voter-approved tax to boost teacher pay and mandates new civics curriculum in public schools while rejecting expansion of the school voucher program.... Read more»
Red for Ed, the teachers group that spearheaded Proposition 208 – which increases some taxes to hire teachers and bolster teacher salaries – this week returned to the political battlefield to fight a bill it says undermines the will of Arizona voters in November. E... Read more»
Schools across the state reopened Monday, and many were offering in-person instruction for the first time since being shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman expressed confidence that things will get back on track for students this year. “But by and large, the majority of our schools across the state will be offering in-person, either starting today, starting next week or by the end of March,” Hoffman said in an interview with KTAR News Monday.... Read more»
Public education advocates gathered at the Arizona Capitol to protest a proposed voucher expansion that they say would further defund public schools. Arizona voters rejected similar legislation two years ago.... Read more»
ADHS released its eagerly anticipated criteria for when schools can safely reopen for in-person learning amid the continuing COVID-19 crisis, though the benchmarks won’t be mandatory and it will be up to school districts to decide whether it’s safe to bring students back to campus.... Read more»
A White House panel of parents, teachers and school administrators said Tuesday that reopening schools this fall should be the nation’s top priority, for the wellbeing of students and parents and as a move to “stabilize our society.”... Read more»
When Arizona students return to school in August, a new law could make the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts available to all 1.1 million of them. Unless a grassroots group of opponents has its way.... Read more»
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