As a result, school districts cannot legally spend the money the Legislature already approved months ago as part of the state budget. We changed the rules on schools. 185.6.9.159 Politicians are holding our school districts hostage to try to get their way on two things that arent related, Secretary Hobbs said. Arizona's schools may be forced to shut down as early as April 1 this spring. Your IP: Consequently, this list will no longer be updated unless case rates again force a substantial number of schools to close. 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. 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. How aggressively will the state enforce the ban? This is a lie. We also thank our legislative partners for passing legislation ensuring all educators and staff see no disruption in pay. 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. 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. Budget documents show that Chandler schools would lose more than $54 million. AZCIR holds powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism. Lets get this straight. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Do we ask our people to work for free for the last few months of the year? said Hector Encinas, the CFO for Sunnyside Schools. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. Its time to choose. 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. 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. A spending limit set 40 years ago doesnt work today. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. And students are still trying to recover from the impact of COVID-induced learning interruptions. 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. What that means immediately is that educators can lose their jobs starting April 1, programs can be canceled starting April 1, and class sizes can expand starting April 1, Garcia said. said Lewis. The aggregate expenditure limit, passed by voters in 1980, is an amendment to the Arizona Constitution that sets a spending limit for school districts based on total spending of all districts. 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. 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. We need to repeal it. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Districts based their budgets on money the Legislature already approved. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . So that cash will just sit there, we believe.. 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. 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. Investing in education ensures we have a pipeline of qualified workers and innovators. "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. But in 2018, the Legislature extended Proposition 301, without exempting it. From how it spreads to where it originated, here's a look at everything you need to know about the deadly contagion. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. and last updated 9:42 AM, Feb 09, 2022. We should be spending more now because we have technology, and we should make sure kids know how to use it. Published: Feb. 8, 2022 at 5:11 PM PST. First Name Last Name Email Please indicate your role in your school or district. Mind you we already have a severe teacher and staff shortage at this point, said Margaret Cheney, the president of the Tucson Education Association. Arizona superintendent urges lawmakers to act as schools face - KOLD Taylor Lane expects to graduate in May 2022 with a bachelors degree in journalism. The spectacular surge of Omicron cases has left thousands of teachers and students sick, and many others quite logically fear . 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. In a statement, Arizona Superintendent Kathy Hoffman said: Legislative leaders have less than one month to prevent Arizonas school districts from facing existential budget cuts. Were not talking about shifting to remote learning. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (Arizona public school funding, by the way, alreadyranks lowest in the nation). 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." Interactive Coronavirus case data and map, Coronavirus in Arizona: Latest case numbers, Coronavirus: Symptoms, testing and how to prepare amid growing COVID-19 outbreak, How coronavirus differs from flu: Symptoms to watch for, Is it the flu, a cold or COVID-19? Or more specifically, we will pay … for parents to send their kids to private school. Stay up-to-date on the most recent guidance, resources, and professional development offered by the Arizona Department of Education and our partners. 6 Arizona schools awarded the 2022 National Blue Ribbon School honor. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts. The deadline for a decision is March 1. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Huge things have changed since 1979 when the AEL was created. Schools across the country are shutting down again. She is working for the Phoenix news bureau. Robbins announces changes to the future of University of Arizona's medical programs. Hoffman stressed the importance of school funding, saying in a written copy of her address, the biggest threat of widespread school closures comes not from the virus, but a school finance relic from 1980, the aggregate expenditure limit.. We saw what it did to our kids. The Sunnyside School District says it will lose more than $16 million dollars in funding. "That would mean laying off two-thirds of the teachers," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. Another looks to April 2. The measure did not need to be signed by the Governor. Nearly 300 Schools Will Remain Closed After Winter Break Due to - MSN This technical roadblock means without immediate bipartisan legislative action districts across Arizona will have to eliminate 15% or more of their already approved budgeted expenses this spring. */. Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS, is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. As schools and education advocates are biting their nails waiting for the overrides, Kavanagh said hes pretty confident that the budget will be approved. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Gov. Gov. The Legislature has until March 1 to override the spending cap. State Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said the amendment was a way to placate Arizonans concerned about high taxes. 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. Click to reveal Eighty-five percent of our budget is salary and benefits. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Todays announcement is intended to give parents and educators as much certainty as possible so they can plan and make decisions. Then stop playing politics with our children and follow your own advice. Kathy Hoffman stresses threat of budget cuts on AZ schools Business, finance, policy, compliance, operations. 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.
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