Not 2020 again? 2023 Cronkite News. The measure did not need to be signed by the Governor. It reduces the burden on taxpayers and improves the economy for all of us. One scenario anticipates a school year closure as of March 19. Arizona continues to rank dead last in the nation in per-student investment, according to Education Law Centers. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Some school districts maintain their own dashboards online. That might mean cuts to labor forces meaning that our staff and teachers will get cut. Which states are hurting the most when it comes to teacher How To Work With Our Editorial Department. Taylor Lane expects to graduate in May 2022 with a bachelors degree in journalism. All rights reserved. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett reports. His Open for Learning Recovery Benefit program offers up to $7,000 that can be used to pay private school tuition for any child whose school closes for even a day of in-person instruction. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Robbins announces changes to the future of University of Arizona's medical programs. All rights reserved. Getting Back to School | ABC15 Arizona - KNXV Eighty-five percent of our budget is salary and benefits. Let me be perfectly clear that inaction is not an option, and its appalling that this was not the first issue addressed when the (policy) session started a month ago.. Now, schools cant even spend the still inadequate funds they were counting on to keep our schools open? Gov. Published: Feb. 8, 2022 at 5:11 PM PST. The economic estimates commission shall determine and publish prior to May 1 of each year the aggregate expenditure limitation for all school districts for the following fiscal year. By: Sheenae Shannon, AEA Communications Director. US schools close again as children's mental health declared national A democrat from Chandler has introduced a bill to eliminate the cap all together. Chaos and confusion: Back to school turns ugly as Delta rages Outbreaks, quarantines and closures in AZ schools - Arizona Center for Public schools in Arizona are once again at risk of massive budget cuts and layoffs unless lawmakers vote to lift a constitutional spending cap that has been in place for decades. It requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers. But because of legislative inaction, our districts are facing a school closure ticking timebomb. The State Legislature, under the Arizona State Constitution, has the power to authorize expenditures in excess of the limitation for a single fiscal year. Updates for Fall 2022. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Published: Feb. 7, 2022 at 3:20 PM PST. Nearly 300 Schools Will Remain Closed After Winter Break Due to - MSN We changed the rules on schools. She said, for example, the Washington Elementary School District would lose over $25 million, Miami Unified School District would lose nearly $2 million, and Deer Valley Unified School District would lose more than $36 million. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, such as here, . And Arizonas death rate remains one of highest in the nation, thanks in part to a governor who has used his emergency powers to actually prevent cities and school districtsfrom trying to protect public health. Judy Schwiebert is a member of the Arizona House, representing District 20 in the West Valley. The previous survey's results (Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022) remain available in . 360 Hiatt Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. Find out how your news organization can use Cronkite News content. School closures and shifts to remote instruction are quickly becoming less common as COVID case rates drop in many states. While other counties do not have dashboards, some school districts have made their own, such as Kingman Unified School District #20 in Mohave County. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Berry said she and fellow financial officers of neighboring school districts dont know where the money from the budgets will go if the Legislature doesnt override the cap. In partnership with Esri and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), we've created the information below to keep you informed of the changes and impact of COVID-19 on school operational plans at the district level. So, districts already have the state-approved money in their bank accounts. It affects all of us. Although the money from the proposition will go toward public education, Essigs said not one penny of that money is in this years budget., That money will not start showing up until next year, he said. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Email covid.edu@azcir.org, or contact AZCIRs reporters: Which school districts have mask mandates in place? Another looks to April 2. Here's what you need to know about why the state came so close to cutting school spending. Superintendent Hoffman is also asking lawmakers to pass a bill that would ultimately repeal the spending cap, avoiding a showdown like this one, again. Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Lane, who is a digital production intern with The Arizona Republic, is working for the Phoenix news bureau. With your help, AZCIR has set out to provide a more comprehensive, regularly updated picture of where students and staff are contracting COVID-19 across Arizonaand how schools are responding. Hannah must make his decision by March 10, after the deadline for the Legislature to override the spending cap, but Hannah said he could not pinpoint when he would rule., There are no ulterior motives, he told The Republic. K-12 districts with mask mandates include: Higher education institutions with mask requirements include: Other districts have implemented partial mandates that apply only on school buses, on tribal land or when students and staff cannot implement social distancing. We are not adding any new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money that you budgeted to them last year. They also asked the governor to authorize Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or school vouchers, for all students trapped in those districts. Superintendent Hoffman explained Flowing Wells and TUSD could lose a combined $63.9 million this school year due to the aggregate expenditure limit during her State of Education address Tuesday. We will continue to work with families, public health experts and school leaders to ensure our kids can stay in the classroom and parents have a choice always.. School Disruptions Omicron Upends Return to School in U.S. - New York Times Or more specifically, we will pay … for parents to send their kids to private school. As schools and education advocates are biting their nails waiting for the overrides, Kavanagh said hes pretty confident that the budget will be approved. It is adjusted each year to take into account inflation and the number of students who are enrolled. MIS, Earth sciences at UArizona ranked among nation's best by US News Its time we ask ourselves the question: Is it fair to continue asking children to sacrifice and suffer in order to protect unvaccinated adults? Not because of COVID-19 this time, but because of a perfect storm of problems with our state's school funding system. Virtually no one's pressing to close schools, Hurt students for the unvaccinated? One of the political issues at play is Proposition 208, which put a 3.5% tax increase on people with incomes over $250,000 for single tax filers or $500,000 for married filers. Over the years, lawmakers have voted to override it which hasnt happened yet this year. Schools Are Closing Across the Country Amid COVID Omicron Surge - Today "It looks like we will begin moving that piece forward in the next couple of weeks," said State Sen. Shope. However, this wont just affect families with school-age children. The aggregate expenditure limitation shall be determined by adjusting the total amount of expenditures of local revenues for all school districts for fiscal year 1979-1980 to reflect the changes in student population in the school districts and the cost of living, and multiplying the result by 1.10. Get AZCIRs latest investigations and updates delivered straight into your inbox. Arizona School Calendar 2023 - PublicHolidays.com Public schools in Atlanta, Georgia also marked August 4, 2021 as the first day of the 2021-2022 academic year. Arizonas children lost precious years of childhood. The cap only affects district public schools; charter schools did not exist in 1980. The spending cap does not affect public charter schools, which educate about 240,000 K-12 students. We already see it in the number of employers frustrated by the lack of qualified workers. You are not adding new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money you budgeted to them last year, she said. A two-thirds majority of the Legislature is needed to override the cap and allow the $1.2 billion to be spent. Sinema, who has not said whether she will seek a second term, still had a formidable $10 million in her bank account at . All stories must run in their entirety unless otherwise noted or agreed upon after discussion with AZCIR. 185.6.9.159 2023 Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. Nearly 300 schools in the U.S. will remain closed for in-person classes after the winter break in an effort to address growing concerns over the latest COVID surge of . UArizona ranks 29 among top 100 universities granted US utility patents in 2022. Or search for your Arizona school district by name or zip: A L. M Z. Agua Fria Union High School District. Doug Ducey has put Arizonas public schools on notice. Currently, a total of 877 classrooms in the New York City public school district have closed, their students transitioned to at-home e-learning, due to confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Hoax post claims US schools are closing again | Fact Check USA TODAY. Read more at UArizona News. There are solutions already introduced as bills thanks to Representative Jennifer Pawlik and Senator Christine Marsh -- I urge the majority party to act immediately and allow our schools to get on with serving their students and families.. K-12 closings tracker: Schools are sticking to in-person learning as PHOENIX Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman held her 2022 State of Education address Tuesday afternoon, heavily focusing on the . He said he has sympathy for districts larger than his who face an even greater loss. by Maria Polletta and Shaena Montanari, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting August 17, 2021, This article first appeared on Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. Classes in Chicago Public Schools were canceled for the second day Thursday, the result of an impasse over the teachers union's desire to return to remote . First Name Last Name Email Please indicate your role in your school or district. For 2023, school district officials say they will be forced to cut their budgets for the current school year by more than $1.3 billion. This is something that shouldnt be an issue, but, unfortunately, the majority in the Legislature has decided to make it an issue.. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Itll be scheduled, and I think most people expect that itll be passed by enough to make (the overages) no longer an issue.. PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more at UArizona News. So that cash will just sit there, we believe.. A spending limit set 40 years ago doesnt work today. Its going to be very, very hard to do.. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. "I think the community is really just frustrated and kind of sick of this because it feels almost like a political football game. Were talking closing schools altogether. All material must be attributed and credited prominently, and where appropriate for the material type throughout. Theres no new taxes, no new money involved in any of that, and its really difficult for anyone to understand because its a complex topic, she said. All rights reserved. Questions? Sara Edwards expects to graduate in May 2022 with a masters degree focused on business journalism. Ducey and Hoffman released a joint statement: In alignment with yesterdays updated federal guidance, today we are announcing the extension of school closures through the remainder of the school year. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. Arizona public schools concerned over possible $1.2 billion in - KOLD Prior to writing for District Administration he worked in daily news all over the country, from the NYC suburbs to the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the past, when districts hit the decades-old aggregate expenditure limit, lawmakers voted to override it which hasnt happened this school year. Public schools in Atlanta, Georgia also marked August 4, 2021 as the first day of the 2021-2022 academic year. A lot of those kids are now back in school, but thats affecting the limit by about $300 million, he said. Pinal County has a dashboard that shows cumulative cases by the area each school district covers, but not cases specifically from schools. The Legislature could and should pass a concurrent resolution before March 1 that will allow districts to exceed the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL). Garcia said the money returns to the Legislature and gets put back into a savings account and cannot be spent. A clear picture of school-based COVID-19 outbreaks has so far proven elusive . 2023 FOX Television Stations, until MON 7:00 PM MST, Western Pima-South Central Pinal-Tohono Oodham Nation, Eastern Pima-Southeastern Pinal-Santa Cruz-Western Cochise, until SUN 5:00 PM MST, Maricopa County, Yuma County, Yuma County, from FRI 11:40 PM MST until TUE 11:30 PM MST, Maricopa County, from MON 9:00 AM MST until MON 11:00 PM MST, Northwest Plateau, Northwest Deserts, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, from SUN 11:59 AM MDT until TUE 12:00 AM MDT, Apache County, until MON 9:00 PM MST, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail. Prop 208 is a voter-approved tax hike on high-earners. School Year 2022-2023 | Arizona Department of Education including Savanna Elementary School District in California and the Chandler Unified School District in Arizona. MAP: Districts operational status across the U.S. 2023. Work immediately to pass a clean concurrent resolution, without caveats, that allows school districts to exceed the Aggregate Expenditure Limit. Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. "If its not addressed in a permanent manner, we are going to be pretty much sealing our feet from now on be at the bottom of the nation in funding," said David Lujan, a former state lawmaker. Gov. Doug Ducey, there is no plot afoot to close Arizona schools Creative Commons. Tell that to parents where COVID cases, test shortages are closing schools. January 7, 2022. "When this was set in 1980, we didn't have Chrome tablets or whiteboards or any of the stuff that we have now that teaches our kids," State Sen. Fann said at the time. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. . It would be a disaster for the parents, and I think parents of all ideologies would be resentful of the Legislature not passing something to alleviate that problem.". (Video by John Brown/Cronkite News) PHOENIX - The clock is running out for state legislators to override a cap on spending that would prohibit Arizona public school districts from disbursing nearly $1.2 billion that's already been approved by the Legislature and budgeted. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, Independent, nonprofit investigative journalism for Arizona. We also thank our legislative partners for passing legislation ensuring all educators and staff see no disruption in pay. Edwards, who graduated from ASU in 2021, has interned with Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Magazine and Crime and Justice News. Look at Mesa Unified School District up in the Phoenix area, theyd have to cut $78 million, or TUSD with $58 million, Marana with about $15 million, Amphi with $14 million, he said. Though legislators stipulated the ban would apply retroactively, they did not have the two-thirds majority required to circumvent the typical 90-day waiting period. Arizona superintendent urges lawmakers to act as schools face - KOLD Is there anyone who wants to put them through that again? We all have to reduce our budgets by April 1 if they dont approve the budget, so at that point, we cant over expand our budget, she said. That has a negative economic impact on all of us. PHOENIX - Public schools in Arizona are once again at risk of massive budget cuts and layoffs unless lawmakers vote to lift a constitutional spending cap that has been in place for decades. The aggregate expenditures of local revenues for all school districts shall not exceed the limitation prescribed in this section. The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the states only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Read . 5 Glendale elementary schools could close - The Arizona Republic She is working for the Phoenix news bureau. Published: 01/12/2022. Do schools and child care establishments have to report COVID-19 outbreaks to their local health departments? In central Arizona, the Congress Elementary School District board met Wednesday and reviewed contingency plans. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Aaron Rodgers Mural Removed in Green Bay: WATCH Some are saying, Im not going to approve exceeding the limit until the courts rule that it is unconstitutional., Judge John Hannah of Maricopa County Superior Court declined to rule immediately on the constitutionality of Proposition 208, according to The Arizona Republic. and last updated 9:42 AM, Feb 09, 2022. The biggest threat of widespread school closures comes not from the virus, but a school finance relic from 1980s, she said. In order to protect yourself from a possible infection, the CDC recommends: LIVE: Interactive Coronavirus case data and map, FULL COVERAGE: fox10phoenix.com/coronavirus, Coronavirus (COVID-19)How it spreads, symptoms, prevention, treatment, FAQhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus, Arizona COVID-19 ResponsePublic resources, FAQ, webinarshttps://www.azdhs.gov/coronavirus. Superintendent Kathy Hoffman said a familiar issue is still the most pressing one for education in our state. Arizona school funding cut deadline looms, Legislature yet to act Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, . Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0c320a4bc898f7 During his State of Education Address on Jan. 31, Horne touched on the spending cap, among other issues such strengthening student discipline, improving test scores, and his opposition to Critical Race Theory, which is a hot-button conservative political issue. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema reported raising just over $2.1 million in her first full fundraising quarter since leaving the Democratic Party, a smaller haul than the $3.7 million raised by Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is hoping to win her seat in 2024. With out a fix to the school funding limit, schools will undoubtedly lay off educators, cut programs, and in the worst cases close their doors. But its downright galling that this governor continues to fight schools that are trying to protect kids and their teachers by requiring masks or testing or other mandates designed to ensure they can remain open. When does the states ban on school mask requirements take effect? Its time to work together for the good of our children, families, communityand the future of this great state. Click to reveal You must link the words "Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting" to the original URL of the story. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs doesnt think the Legislature will act before the March 1 deadline. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Can we just fund our schools?" In a news release, Ducey, alongside Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, said the extension of the school closures follows updated guidance from the CDC and the extension of social distancing guidelines until the end of April from the White House. While Arizona is a leader in providing parents options when it comes to the education of their children - the solution is not as simple as school choice. While these cuts only impact district schools, our public charter schools wont be able to absorb the students that might lose access to their primary district school if these cuts go through and as we know, in many communities the district is the only choice available.. Districts based their budgets on money the Legislature already approved. And students are still trying to recover from the impact of COVID-induced learning interruptions. TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Arizona public schools face budget cuts of $1.2 billion dollars unless the state Legislature lifts the school spending cap by the end of the month. Or, they will have to close schools altogether by April 1. The deadline for a decision is March 1. On CoronavirusNOW.com, you'llfind extensive coverage about COVID-19, including breaking news from around the country, exclusive interviews with health officials, and informative content from a variety of public health resources. "This year, it seems it's turned into a little bit . Gov. Katherine Fung 12/23/2021. Ultimately, on Feb. 21, 2022, lawmakers in the Arizona State Senate voted 23-6 to waive a constitutional spending cap for K-12 school spending, a week after members of the State House voted on the measure. 1740 W. Adams, Suite 3008. TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Arizona Superintendent Kathy Hoffman is urging lawmakers to lift the school spending cap as public schools are facing nearly $1.2 billion in budget cuts.
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