However, this wont just affect families with school-age children. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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.. 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. The money would go towards teacher salaries and schools. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Hoffman said without suspending the aggregate expenditure limit, schools are at risk of further budget cuts, which would ultimately result in more bus driver shortages, more teacher layoffs, and the loss of academic and extracurricular programs, if not the complete closure of some schools. The spectacular surge of Omicron cases has left thousands of teachers and students sick, and many others quite logically fear . Maricopa County tracks schools with active and resolved outbreaks in a dashboard, but does not differentiate by school or district. Gov. A two-thirds majority of the Legislature is needed to override the cap and allow the $1.2 billion to be spent. Reassign students to Challenger or Don . As a result, school districts cannot legally spend the money the Legislature already approved months ago as part of the state budget. Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, such as here, . Pima County tracks cases by school district. 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. If the state legislature does nothing to lift a constitutionally-mandated spending cap, public schools could be looking at over a billion dollars in spending cuts. Prop 208 is a voter-approved tax hike on high-earners. At least 25 school districtsas well as several higher education institutionshave implemented broad campus mask requirements, arguing they have a duty to protect their students, staff and communities. Eighty-five percent of our budget is salary and benefits. Published: 01/12/2022. 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. The Arizona Republics Stephanie Innes in December reported that the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths, since the vaccine became available, have been in people who were not fully vaccinated. Do schools and child care establishments have to report COVID-19 outbreaks to their local health departments? Kids arent dying from COVID-19. I think the Democrats are obviously trying to create the impression that were not going to (override the limit) and schools are going to go over the cliff, when in reality, around here, no ones really talking about that, he said. "This year, it seems it's turned into a little bit . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The formula that calculates school district spending is based on spending from the 1979-80 school year, according to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress. 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. (Arizona public school funding, by the way, alreadyranks lowest in the nation). Find out how your news organization can use Cronkite News content. Schools across the country are shutting down again. According to Education Forward Arizona, the Legislature last overrode the gap in 2007 and 2008. I'd like to receive updates & guidance about the 2022-2023 School Year. That puts $638 million of funding a year at risk money that didnt used to count toward the limit but does now. said Lewis. Brown has previously interned at MSNBC, NBC 5 Chicago and PBS NewsHour West. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This tracker links to some school districts in the county that have their own dashboards, where they further break down case numbers by school. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Two years ago, most of society shut down in the face of a deadly virus we knew little about and couldnt defend against. District Administration. 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. Arizona public schools concerned over possible $1.2 billion in budget cuts, Tucson marks first 100-degree day of 2023, WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO of officer-involved fatal shooting, Gov. It affects all of us. Some districts maintain their own dashboards online. Her position is partially funded by Report for America, a national program that supports local journalists. All stories must run in their entirety unless otherwise noted or agreed upon after discussion with AZCIR. 1740 W. Adams, Suite 3008. The aggregate expenditures of local revenues for all school districts shall not exceed the limitation prescribed in this section. "That would be an incredible disaster. Some school districts maintain their own dashboards online. Districts based their budgets on money the Legislature already approved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But unvaccinated people, for the most part, choose to remain unprotected, relying on horse dewormer or voodoo or whatever it is they substitute for science. Can we just fund our schools?" These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. If lawmakers fail to raise the cap, public school districts could lose over a billion dollars in funding. USA TODAY. "It looks like we will begin moving that piece forward in the next couple of weeks," said State Sen. Shope. 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 . Your IP: News. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But nearly three months later, details surrounding the timing, implementation and enforcement of the law remain unclear. Parents are best suited to make decisions about their childs education. In a public letter dated Aug. 11, they contended a resounding message must be delivered to any local government or subdivision of the state considering defying state law that lawlessness will not be tolerated.. AZCIR holds powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism. This is a lie. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. School's out for the rest of the school year, as a result of the pandemic. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. 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. We changed the rules on schools. Coconino County publishes a COVID-19 school update every Friday that summarizes case rate and percent positivity at district level. We already see it in the number of employers frustrated by the lack of qualified workers. Since students returned to in-person learning in August, districts have reported more than 2,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and required thousands of students to quarantine. What Ive heard from some Republicans is theyre waiting to hear about the court case on Prop 208 and the judge in that case says hes not going to expedite his ruling, she said. He has until March 10th.. This limitation excludes charter schools and only applies to district public schools. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. So says the governor who has actually foughtschools that enact public health policies aimed at staying open. Arizona superintendent urges lawmakers to act as schools face closure ticking timebomb, Superintendent Hoffman says schools face closure ticking timebomb, Tucson marks first 100-degree day of 2023, WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO of officer-involved fatal shooting, Gov. 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.". These cuts translate to $25 million for the Washington Elementary district, $43 million for Phoenix Union, and $58 million for Tucson Unified, just to name a few examples. 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. We are not adding any new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money that you budgeted to them last year. In-person learning is vital for the development, well-being and educational needs of K-12 students. It is a Constitutional Amendment that was passed by Arizona voters in 1980 which created a spending limitation for school districts based on the aggregate expenditure of all districts. 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. (Because apparently there would be no other public or charter school option?). Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Investing in education ensures we have a pipeline of qualified workers and innovators. Though some counties and school districts are monitoring outbreaks at the local level, there is no centralized tracking system. Lana Berry, the chief financial officer of Chandler Unified School District, said schools have the money, they just need the authorization from the Legislature to spend it. We knew this was going to become an issue. However, he says he is hopeful that a decision will be made relatively soon. Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. 2023 Cronkite News. 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. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . I originally planned to give a different speech today, she said. First Name Last Name Email Please indicate your role in your school or district. Or, they will have to close schools altogether by April 1. All rights reserved. One scenario anticipates a school year closure as of March 19. I am tired of legislative leaders playing political games with public schools, educators and students. In the past, said Chuck Essigs, the director of governmental relations for the Arizona Association of School Business Officials, overriding the limit was a technicality that was resolved quickly however, that wasnt the case this year. 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. While other counties do not have dashboards, some school districts have made their own, such as Kingman Unified School District #20 in Mohave County. Is there anyone who wants to put them through that again? Failing to act will harm students and families, Hoffman told legislators Tuesday in her address. Its time to work together for the good of our children, families, communityand the future of this great state. Gov. That might mean cuts to labor forces meaning that our staff and teachers will get cut. 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. Unvaccinated people were 32times more likely to die from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people, according to the new Department of Health Services' analysis of data from November. The Legislature has until March 1 to override the spending cap. Feb. 11, 2022. Think of the economic impact on our community that comes from laying off thousands of teachers and staff. With this announcement, we are making sure parents and families have options if a school closes its doors, he said. Superintendent Hoffman is also asking lawmakers to pass a bill that would ultimately repeal the spending cap, avoiding a showdown like this one, again. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. School closures and shifts to remote instruction are quickly becoming less common as COVID case rates drop in many states. Twenty-six Republican lawmakers have asked Ducey to withhold federal funding from and initiate legal action against any district that ignores the ban. 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. A lot of those kids are now back in school, but thats affecting the limit by about $300 million, he said. Not 2020 again? 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 . In a news release, Ducey, alongside . UArizona ranks 29 among top 100 universities granted US utility patents in 2022. Photos, graphics and other visual elements are permitted for one-time-use only. Not because of COVID-19 this time, but because of a perfect storm of problems with our states school funding system. This is something that shouldnt be an issue, but, unfortunately, the majority in the Legislature has decided to make it an issue.. All rights reserved. According to Bridge Michigan, over 6% of the state's K-12 students missed at least one day of in-person classes this week due to COVID-related shutdowns. Its time to choose. Or search for your Arizona school district by name or zip: A L. M Z. Agua Fria Union High School District. "I originally planned to give a different speech today," she said. 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. 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. Bullhead City Elementary School District has left open the option of a mask requirement if the COVID-19 situation worsens. Doug Ducey has put Arizonas public schools on notice. Prefer to send a check? Yes. */. Duceys wrong to use the pandemic as an excuse to expand school vouchers. There is no other choice but to suspend and repeal the cap.. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". In 2022, then-State Senate President Karen Fann said the 1980 law needs to be re-examined. Campbell, who was a senior reporter at The State Press, is working for the Phoenix news bureau. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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.. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Back in 1980, a cap on school funding, also known as an Aggregate Expenditure Limit, was added to the Arizona Constitution. 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. The 10,000 pupils in the Lansing Public School District are stuck in virtual mode until at least next week. Which counties have online dashboards or reports tracking COVID in schools? These efforts are crucial, and we recognize that schools are making every effort possible to continue providing instruction during closures. PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. A democrat from Chandler has introduced a bill to eliminate the cap all together. That depends; county health departments in Arizona can issue quarantine guidance. Look at our options. The money is already in the district bank accounts. Its going to be very, very hard to do.. 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. Watch Now. 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. Now, schools cant even spend the still inadequate funds they were counting on to keep our schools open? The action you just performed triggered the security solution. And as state and local officials argue over the bans merit, COVID-19 continues to spread. Taylor Lane expects to graduate in May 2022 with a bachelors degree in journalism. 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. Then work with us to abolish this arbitrary, antiquated policy. 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 thats already been approved by the Legislature and budgeted. Business, finance, policy, compliance, operations. Its kind of like kicking our kids when theyre already down, isnt it? But in 2018, the Legislature extended Proposition 301, without exempting it. The cap only affects district public schools; charter schools did not exist in 1980. As schools and education advocates are biting their nails waiting for the overrides, Kavanagh said hes pretty confident that the budget will be approved. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0c320a4bc898f7 Gov. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. 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.. PHOENIX Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman held her 2022 State of Education address Tuesday afternoon, heavily focusing on the Aggregate Expenditure Limit and the catastrophic impacts it could have on Arizona's education system. Tell your senators and representatives to stop using this latest crisis as a political football to score points against each other. 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. State health officials said there are now 1,157 known coronavirus cases and 20 deaths. and last updated 9:42 AM, Feb 09, 2022. During her State of Education address at the Capitol on Tuesday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said if the cap isnt overridden by March 1, public school districts will have to cut 16% of their individual budgets before April 1. Robbins announces changes to the future of University of Arizona's medical programs. 2023-2024 calendars are being added as they become available. AZCIR is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, Tax ID #46-1209940. The deadline for a decision is March 1. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. "I think the community is really just frustrated and kind of sick of this because it feels almost like a political football game. Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic, Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District, Maricopa County Community College District, You must credit us: For bylines, use Author Name, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. At the top of the text of the story, include a line that reads: "This story was originally published by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting." 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. 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. Cheney believes the Legislature is trying to prevent Prop 208, an income tax rate surcharge on high-earners, from going into effect by not lifting the spending cap limit. Basically, wed have to cut two months worth of operation from our budget starting in March. "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. 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The spending cap does not affect public charter schools, which educate about 240,000 K-12 students. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. While Duceys threat should play well for him politically especially with those always looking for an angle to expand the states school voucher program I wasnt aware that there was any groundswell of support for closing Arizonas schools. Lane, who is a digital production intern with The Arizona Republic, is working for the Phoenix news bureau. Even so, that will only fix the problem for this spring. Shaena Montanari is an investigative reporter for AZCIR focused on covering health disparities. Creative Commons. Mind you we already have a severe teacher and staff shortage at this point, said Margaret Cheney, the president of the Tucson Education Association. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. PHOENIX Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman held her 2022 State of Education address Tuesday afternoon, heavily focusing on the . Performance & security by Cloudflare. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Were talking closing schools altogether. But education advocates fear the Legislature isnt taking the cap seriously enough and that the March 1 deadline to approve the override will pass with no action taken, forcing districts to cut their budgets in the final quarter of the school year. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. Close K-3 school Desert Garden Elementary School off 71st Avenue and Ocotillo Road and repurpose the building into a preschool facility. You must use our. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts. The irony is that this spring, school districts are running into something called the aggregate expenditure limit (AEL) that was created more than40 years ago. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } As of Dec. 6, she reported, there had been 608 breakthrough COVID-19 deaths in fully vaccinated people in Arizona. They have not overspent. Doug Ducey has put Arizona's public schools on notice. We should be spending more now because we have technology, and we should make sure kids know how to use it. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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.

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