Horne, for his part, says he is in support of lifting the cap and is even considering a repeal. 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. 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. Even so, that will only fix the problem for this spring. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. UArizona ranks 29 among top 100 universities granted US utility patents in 2022. All rights reserved. Duceys wrong to use the pandemic as an excuse to expand school vouchers. The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the states only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". For some of America's schools, 2022 sure feels a lot like 2020. Find out how your news organization can use Cronkite News content. With this announcement, we are making sure parents and families have options if a school closes its doors, he said. 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. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Read . 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. Click to reveal There is no other choice but to suspend and repeal the cap.. One scenario anticipates a school year closure as of March 19. Essigs said some schools, unable to pay teachers and staff members, may have to end the school year early if the limit is not overridden. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. We knew this was going to become an issue. All material must be attributed and credited prominently, and where appropriate for the material type throughout. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The aggregate expenditures of local revenues for all school districts shall not exceed the limitation prescribed in this section. by Maria Polletta and Shaena Montanari, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting August 17, 2021, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. A two-thirds majority of the Legislature is needed to override the cap and allow the $1.2 billion to be spent. The spending cap does not affect public charter schools, which educate about 240,000 K-12 students. All stories must run in their entirety unless otherwise noted or agreed upon after discussion with AZCIR. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. We also need to take the next step, to abolish this arbitrary, antiquated policy. Kids arent dying from COVID-19. Coconino County publishes a COVID-19 school update every Friday that summarizes case rate and percent positivity at district level. USA TODAY. This limitation excludes charter schools and only applies to district public schools. Listen to public health experts and school leaders. Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, such as here, . Superintendent Kathy Hoffman said a familiar issue is still the most pressing one for education in our state. Its going to be very, very hard to do.. Arizonas schools may be forced to shut down as early as April 1 this spring. We are not adding any new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money that you budgeted to them last year. A spending limit set 40 years ago doesnt work today. 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. Eighty-five percent of our budget is salary and benefits. Sara Edwards expects to graduate in May 2022 with a masters degree focused on business journalism. Prefer to send a check? In the past, when districts hit the decades-old aggregate expenditure limit, lawmakers voted to override it which hasnt happened this school year. 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. School closures and shifts to remote instruction are quickly becoming less common as COVID case rates drop in many states. Consequently, this list will no longer be updated unless case rates again force a substantial number of schools to close. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Gov. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. 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. 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. (Arizona public school funding, by the way, alreadyranks lowest in the nation). 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. Pinal County has a dashboard that shows cumulative cases by the area each school district covers, but not cases specifically from schools. Its time to work together for the good of our children, families, communityand the future of this great state. 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. State Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said the amendment was a way to placate Arizonans concerned about high taxes. . Updates for Fall 2022. While the education system was strained due to the COVID-19 pandemic and learning shifts, Hoffman said the biggest threat to schools is far from the virus or its complications. Close your doors for even a day and you will . abc15.com staff 8:18 AM, Sep 16 . Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, . Sadly, some legislators are already playing political games, trying to convince themselves and the public that the problem is because of district over-spending. Feb. 11, 2022. Doug Ducey has put Arizona's public schools on notice. Creative Commons. Or more specifically, we will pay … for parents to send their kids to private school. We already see it in the number of employers frustrated by the lack of qualified workers. It is adjusted each year to take into account inflation and the number of students who are enrolled. And as state and local officials argue over the ban's merit, COVID-19 continues to spread. 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. Look at our options. "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. The 10,000 pupils in the Lansing Public School District are stuck in virtual mode until at least next week. The deadline for a decision is March 1. Schools across the country are shutting down again. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . 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. However, he says he is hopeful that a decision will be made relatively soon. It requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Its time we ask ourselves the question: Is it fair to continue asking children to sacrifice and suffer in order to protect unvaccinated adults? While other counties do not have dashboards, some school districts have made their own, such as Kingman Unified School District #20 in Mohave County. Different viruses present similar symptoms, Murder, Money and the End of Days: The Lori Vallow story, Lori Vallow trial: Full-length audio files from inside the courtroom, Phoenix officer assaulted by suspect, police say, Milwaukee woman stabbed sister to death amid feud: complaint, Cars parked at Gilbert daycares become target in latest string of break-ins, Shocking details revealed during 'Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow's murder trial: Live updates, Barbie debuts Anna May Wong doll for AAPI Heritage Month, Hair from 'Doomsday mom' found on duct tape wrapped around dead son, Here are tips on how to keep safe around water as summer nears, Some districts are considering to arm teachers amid school shooting epidemic, Arizona district installs weapon detection system in schools. 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. In 2000, when voters approved Proposition 301 to fund education for 20 years, they exempted that money from counting toward the expenditure limit. State health officials said there are now 1,157 known coronavirus cases and 20 deaths. Close your doors for even a day and you will pay. 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. 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. PHOENIX Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman held her 2022 State of Education address Tuesday afternoon, heavily focusing on the . Superintendent Hoffman is also asking lawmakers to pass a bill that would ultimately repeal the spending cap, avoiding a showdown like this one, again. In-person learning is vital for the development, well-being and educational needs of K-12 students. Garcia said the money returns to the Legislature and gets put back into a savings account and cannot be spent. The restrictions now apply statewide with cases reported in all 15 counties. Gov. Oh sure, COVID-19 is spiking yet again with the highly contagious omicron variant. 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. 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. They also asked the governor to authorize Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or school vouchers, for all students trapped in those districts. Robbins announces changes to the future of University of Arizona's medical programs. 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. She is working for the Phoenix news bureau. The issue of the funding cap has nothing to do with COVID-19, masks, or vaccines. Its kind of like kicking our kids when theyre already down, isnt it? Shaena Montanari is an investigative reporter for AZCIR focused on covering health disparities. Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. I get the decision out when I get it out., Ducey defends use of school funding in face of feds threat to reclaim it. This tracker links to some school districts in the county that have their own dashboards, where they further break down case numbers by school. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. But in 2018, the Legislature extended Proposition 301, without exempting it. These efforts are crucial, and we recognize that schools are making every effort possible to continue providing instruction during closures. In 2022, then-State Senate President Karen Fann said the 1980 law needs to be re-examined. Virtually no one's pressing to close schools, Hurt students for the unvaccinated? Failing to act will harm students and families, Hoffman told legislators Tuesday in her address. Here's what you need to know about why the state came so close to cutting school spending. However, this wont just affect families with school-age children. Can we just fund our schools?" Thats a death rate of 0.02%. A clear picture of school-based COVID-19 outbreaks has so far proven elusive . All republished content delivered onlinemust have a link to AZCIRand include all of the links in our story. Politics, cell towers and hate speech: Why 3 more superintendents are Florida schools move closer to a 12-month school year. 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. 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. Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS, is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Pima County tracks cases by school district. This is something that shouldnt be an issue, but, unfortunately, the majority in the Legislature has decided to make it an issue.. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. How aggressively will the state enforce the ban? Maricopa County tracks schools with active and resolved outbreaks in a dashboard, but does not differentiate by school or district. School's out for the rest of the school year, as a result of the pandemic. We also thank our legislative partners for passing legislation ensuring all educators and staff see no disruption in pay. 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. But we have some legislators who didnt like 208, and theyre still fighting it in court. 6 Arizona schools awarded the 2022 National Blue Ribbon School honor. First Name Last Name Email Please indicate your role in your school or district. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. However, not all agree with repealing the spending cap.

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