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Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. The deadline for a decision is March 1. We changed the rules on schools. You are not adding new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money you budgeted to them last year, she said. All material must be attributed and credited prominently, and where appropriate for the material type throughout. Questions? 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. Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS, is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Or, they will have to close schools altogether by April 1. "I originally planned to give a different speech today," she said. School closures and shifts to remote instruction are quickly becoming less common as COVID case rates drop in many states. 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 cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. MIS, Earth sciences at UArizona ranked among nation's best by US News They may get sick but for them it is, thank God, more like getting the flu than getting a death sentence. The spending cap does not affect public charter schools, which educate about 240,000 K-12 students. 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. Public schools in Atlanta, Georgia also marked August 4, 2021 as the first day of the 2021-2022 academic year. Over the years, lawmakers have voted to override it which hasnt happened yet this year. Outbreaks, quarantines and closures in AZ schools - Arizona Center for Learn more about what we do and how to find our content on our broadcast, digital and social media platforms. Please choose your school district in Arizona from the list below to view a calendar of your 2022-2023 school holidays. MAP: Districts operational status across the U.S. 2023. Mail it to AZCIR: PO Box 3665, Phoenix, AZ 85030. If the Legislature doesnt override the limit, schools will only have a couple of months to cut $1.2 billion.. But because of legislative inaction, our districts are facing a school closure ticking timebomb. Its frustrating, he said, because every dollar needed for salaries and to fulfill budgets already has been approved by the Legislature. Read more at UArizona News. 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. The latest Arizona headlines, national news events of the day + sports and weather updates. 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 . 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. The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the states only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. 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. In an abrupt reversal, Atlanta's public schools start the year remotely. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0c320a4bc898f7 The issue of the funding cap has nothing to do with COVID-19, masks, or vaccines. 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. 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. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. How aggressively will the state enforce the ban? 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.. The latest Arizona headlines, national news events of the day + sports and weather updates. In the past, when districts hit the decades-old aggregate expenditure limit, lawmakers voted to override it which hasn't . 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. Twenty-six Republican lawmakers have asked Ducey to withhold federal funding from and initiate legal action against any district that ignores the ban. Get AZCIRs latest investigations and updates delivered straight into your inbox. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Superintendent Hoffman is also asking lawmakers to pass a bill that would ultimately repeal the spending cap, avoiding a showdown like this one, again. Back in 1980, a cap on school funding, also known as an Aggregate Expenditure Limit, was added to the Arizona Constitution. /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. 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. The Education Secretary is encouraging teachers to inform their school leaders in advance whether they intend to take strike action or not, to help schools and families . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Pima County tracks cases by school district. AZCIR holds powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism. Arizona public schools face a funding cliff that could force closures 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. Unless school leaders inform you that the school is closed or cannot provide a place, then you still have a legal duty to send your children to school unless they are unwell. Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, such as here, . I'd like to receive updates & guidance about the 2022-2023 School Year. It does not store any personal data. "[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,". All rights reserved. "Back then in '80, we had schoolbooks and chalkboards and all kinds of things that didn't cost near as much.". The State Legislature, under the Arizona State Constitution, has the power to authorize expenditures in excess of the limitation for a single fiscal year. Why are schools closing for COVID again? | The Week That depends; county health departments in Arizona can issue quarantine guidance. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Michael Tubbs, once the youngest mayor of a major American city, to address UArizona graduates at Commencement. Arizona continues to rank dead last in the nation in per-student investment, according to Education Law Centers. January 6, 2022 at 11:22 a.m. EST. Arizonas schools may be forced to shut down as early as April 1 this spring. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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-person learning is vital for the development, well-being and educational needs of K-12 students. Or more specifically, we will pay … for parents to send their kids to private school. And students are still trying to recover from the impact of COVID-induced learning interruptions. In 2022, then-State Senate President Karen Fann said the 1980 law needs to be re-examined. "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. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. Kathy Hoffman stresses threat of budget cuts on AZ schools We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Arizona superintendent urges lawmakers to act as schools face - KOLD Feb. 11, 2022. Its time to work together for the good of our children, families, communityand the future of this great state. A clear picture of school-based COVID-19 outbreaks has so far proven elusive . Though some counties and school districts are monitoring outbreaks at the local level, there is no centralized tracking system. Districts will be forced to lay off huge numbers of teachers, resulting in enormous class sizes. PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. Can we just fund our schools?" Erin Richards. 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. 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. "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. Due to a high number of new Covid cases, Atlanta Public Schools went remote for the first week of the new year, with a . Closed School List | Private Postsecondary Education - Arizona Chaos and confusion: Back to school turns ugly as Delta rages Sadly, some legislators are already playing political games, trying to convince themselves and the public that the problem is because of district over-spending. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Your IP: PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. We knew this was going to become an issue. In June, Arizonas Republican-led Legislature passed a state budget package that included a controversial provision prohibiting school districts from requiring masks. 1740 W. Adams, Suite 3008. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. The money would go towards teacher salaries and schools. Were talking closing schools altogether. Not because of COVID-19 this time, but because of a perfect storm of problems with our states school funding system. K-12 closings tracker: Schools are sticking to in-person learning as That puts $638 million of funding a year at risk money that didnt used to count toward the limit but does now. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". You must link the words "Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting" to the original URL of the story. Kids arent dying from COVID-19. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, Independent, nonprofit investigative journalism for Arizona. Arizona School Calendar 2023 - PublicHolidays.com This is a lie. Campbell, who was a senior reporter at The State Press, is working for the Phoenix news bureau. Superintendent Kathy Hoffman said a familiar issue is still the most pressing one for education in our state. Close K-3 school Desert Garden Elementary School off 71st Avenue and Ocotillo Road and repurpose the building into a preschool facility. Listen to public health experts and school leaders. Then work with us to abolish this arbitrary, antiquated policy. 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. 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. 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.. "It looks like we will begin moving that piece forward in the next couple of weeks," said State Sen. Shope. Close your doors for even a day and you will . Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Thats a death rate of 0.02%. State Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said the amendment was a way to placate Arizonans concerned about high taxes. Huge things have changed since 1979 when the AEL was created. 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. Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. 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. A lot of those kids are now back in school, but thats affecting the limit by about $300 million, he said. The measure did not need to be signed by the Governor. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. 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"That would mean laying off two-thirds of the teachers," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. 360 Hiatt Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 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. 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.. (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. 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. School Districts Shut Down Classrooms Again - Mackinac Center 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.". Reassign students to Challenger or Don . Phoenix, AZ 85007. email: [email protected] "This year, it seems it's turned into a little bit . Schools will not be able to maintain their current day-to-day operations without action, she said. 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.