January 7, 2022. "We are hoping it gets through a little faster this year with the governor pushing, because that way, districts are not hanging in this weird limbo, where they dont know if they are going to stay open or not," said Beth Lewis with Save Our Schools Arizona. Its frustrating, he said, because every dollar needed for salaries and to fulfill budgets already has been approved by the Legislature. Pinal County has a dashboard that shows cumulative cases by the area each school district covers, but not cases specifically from schools. In the past, when districts hit the decades-old aggregate expenditure limit, lawmakers voted to override it which hasn't . Learn more about what we do and how to find our content on our broadcast, digital and social media platforms. Our number one priority will continue to be health and safety, and we will continue to work closely with public health officials to make the best decisions for kids, families, and our school communities.. Email covid.edu@azcir.org, or contact AZCIRs reporters: Which school districts have mask mandates in place? The Legislature has until March 1 to override the spending cap. Here's what you need to know about why the state came so close to cutting school spending. 2023 Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. Katie Hobbs signs house bill to fund Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, American Airlines pilots authorize strike; pickets planned at Phoenix Sky Harbor. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Yet here comes Ducey, acting as if he alone is holding the line against some orchestrated plot by the evil teachers union and liberal school boards to close down Arizonas schools. abc15.com staff 8:18 AM, Sep 16 . Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Campbell, who was a senior reporter at The State Press, is working for the Phoenix news bureau. All rights reserved. That might mean cuts to labor forces meaning that our staff and teachers will get cut. 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. Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. Reassign students to Challenger or Don . "[State Senator Ken Bennett], the chairman of the Education Committee here in the Senate, will have that legislation to override the AEL for this coming year,". During the 2021-2022 school year, public schools were staring at 16% across-the-board cuts, and looking at layoffs and school closings, according to education advocates. Or, they will have to close schools altogether by April 1. Greenlee County, Arizonas smallest, reported its first case, making it subject to Duceys orders for bars and gyms to close and restaurants to offer only takeout service in counties with known cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Though some counties and school districts are monitoring outbreaks at the local level, there is no centralized tracking system. 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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. 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 . Menu. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Its time to work together for the good of our children, families, communityand the future of this great state. Can we just fund our schools?" The latest Arizona headlines, national news events of the day + sports and weather updates. The State Legislature, under the Arizona State Constitution, has the power to authorize expenditures in excess of the limitation for a single fiscal year. It is adjusted each year to take into account inflation and the number of students who are enrolled. We have two choices: to allow schools to shut down on a technicality, or to usher them into the 21st century so our entire state can thrive. Due to a high number of new Covid cases, Atlanta Public Schools went remote for the first week of the new year, with a . Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. School closures and shifts to remote instruction are quickly becoming less common as COVID case rates drop in many states. A clear picture of school-based COVID-19 outbreaks has so far proven elusive . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Huge things have changed since 1979 when the AEL was created. All stories must run in their entirety unless otherwise noted or agreed upon after discussion with AZCIR. The measure did not need to be signed by the Governor. You are not adding new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money you budgeted to them last year, she said. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The district provided no in-person classes from March 2020 through the end of the . Chaos and confusion: Back to school turns ugly as Delta rages Nearly 18 months into the pandemic, there's no consensus on how to keep students and staff safe. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. 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. The Fifty. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Parents are best suited to make decisions about their childs education. We already see it in the number of employers frustrated by the lack of qualified workers. Arizona continues to rank dead last in the nation in per-student investment, according to Education Law Centers. For more than a decade the Legislatures failure to invest properly in our schools has resulted in such a severe teacher shortage that more than20% of our students dont have a permanent, qualified teacher in their classroom. In 2000, when voters approved Proposition 301 to fund education for 20 years, they exempted that money from counting toward the expenditure limit. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. For some of America's schools, 2022 sure feels a lot like 2020. According to Education Forward Arizona, the Legislature last overrode the gap in 2007 and 2008. "Back then in '80, we had schoolbooks and chalkboards and all kinds of things that didn't cost near as much.". This limitation excludes charter schools and only applies to district public schools. We saw what it did to our kids. Another looks to April 2. Budget documents show that Chandler schools would lose more than $54 million. Mail it to AZCIR: PO Box 3665, Phoenix, AZ 85030. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 1740 W. Adams, Suite 3008. Or more specifically, we will pay … for parents to send their kids to private school. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Two years ago, most of society shut down in the face of a deadly virus we knew little about and couldnt defend against. We also need to take the next step, to abolish this arbitrary, antiquated policy. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs doesnt think the Legislature will act before the March 1 deadline. She is working for the Phoenix news bureau. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } This year, it seems its turned into a little bit of a political football field going back and forth, said Marisol Garcia, vice president of Arizona Education Association. Phoenix, AZ 85007. email: [email protected] Madison School . In central Arizona, the Congress Elementary School District board met Wednesday and reviewed contingency plans. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The restrictions now apply statewide with cases reported in all 15 counties. 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. All republished content delivered onlinemust have a link to AZCIRand include all of the links in our story. In Arizona, he said on Tuesday, were going to ensure continued access to in-person learning.. Now, if only he would quit fighting schools that enact policies aimed at staying open. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . "It looks like we will begin moving that piece forward in the next couple of weeks," said State Sen. Shope. Thats a death rate of 0.02%. Districts based their budgets on money the Legislature already approved. In-person learning is vital for the development, well-being and educational needs of K-12 students. Not because of COVID-19 this time, but because of a perfect storm of problems with our state's school funding system. And if schools close because they are not authorized to spend money already sitting in their bank accounts, the blame will lie with you not our public schools, Hoffman wrote to lawmakers in her address. It requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers. This tracker links to some school districts in the county that have their own dashboards, where they further break down case numbers by school. They may get sick but for them it is, thank God, more like getting the flu than getting a death sentence. Sara Edwards expects to graduate in May 2022 with a masters degree focused on business journalism. PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Doug Ducey has put Arizonas public schools on notice. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Published: Feb. 8, 2022 at 5:11 PM PST. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. 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. As of Dec. 6, she reported, there had been 608 breakthrough COVID-19 deaths in fully vaccinated people in Arizona. Itll be scheduled, and I think most people expect that itll be passed by enough to make (the overages) no longer an issue.. Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. Two-thirds of each house of the legislature would need to vote on a concurrent resolution to approve the excess spending. 2023 Cronkite News. They also asked the governor to authorize Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or school vouchers, for all students trapped in those districts. Kids arent dying from COVID-19. Read more at UArizona News. The issue of the funding cap has nothing to do with COVID-19, masks, or vaccines. Schools will not be able to maintain their current day-to-day operations without action, she said. Doug Ducey has put Arizona's public schools on notice. But in 2018, the Legislature extended Proposition 301, without exempting it. 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. You must use our. Click to reveal Gov. That has a negative economic impact on all of us. The county has provided a form letter school officials can use that says those who are not fully vaccinated or have not tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days are to quarantine (stay) at home for up to 10 days..

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