arizona schools closing again 2022
For 2023, school district officials say they will be forced to cut their budgets for the current school year by more than $1.3 billion. 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. 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. That has a negative economic impact on all of us. 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. Then work with us to abolish this arbitrary, antiquated policy. It affects all of us. 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. 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. Its going to be very, very hard to do.. The Fifty. The Legislature could and should pass a concurrent resolution before March 1 that will allow districts to exceed the Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL). The action you just performed triggered the security solution. The latest Arizona headlines, national news events of the day + sports and weather updates. 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. With this announcement, we are making sure parents and families have options if a school closes its doors, he said. Eighty-five percent of our budget is salary and benefits. The district provided no in-person classes from March 2020 through the end of the . Her position is partially funded by Report for America, a national program that supports local journalists. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 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. Public schools in Atlanta, Georgia also marked August 4, 2021 as the first day of the 2021-2022 academic year. You must link the words "Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting" to the original URL of the story. 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. 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. 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. The measure did not need to be signed by the Governor. Sara Edwards expects to graduate in May 2022 with a masters degree focused on business journalism. 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. Its kind of like kicking our kids when theyre already down, isnt it? Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, Independent, nonprofit investigative journalism for Arizona. AZ International Auto Show & New Car Buyer's Guide 2020 Model Year, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "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. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Its time we ask ourselves the question: Is it fair to continue asking children to sacrifice and suffer in order to protect unvaccinated adults? 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. Some districts maintain their own dashboards online. But nearly three months later, details surrounding the timing, implementation and enforcement of the law remain unclear. Please choose your school district in Arizona from the list below to view a calendar of your 2022-2023 school holidays. Twenty-six Republican lawmakers have asked Ducey to withhold federal funding from and initiate legal action against any district that ignores the ban. Garcia said the money returns to the Legislature and gets put back into a savings account and cannot be spent. 2023 Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. 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. Think of the economic impact on our community that comes from laying off thousands of teachers and staff. Lets get this straight. Michael Tubbs, once the youngest mayor of a major American city, to address UArizona graduates at Commencement. The school spending cap was enacted as part of a wave of proposed laws the Legislature asked voters to approve to limit taxes and government spending. Published: Feb. 7, 2022 at 3:20 PM PST. "It looks like we will begin moving that piece forward in the next couple of weeks," said State Sen. Shope. 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. Phoenix, AZ 85007. email: [email protected] It is adjusted each year to take into account inflation and the number of students who are enrolled. I originally planned to give a different speech today, she said. 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. 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. Judy Schwiebert is a member of the Arizona House, representing District 20 in the West Valley. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. However, he says he is hopeful that a decision will be made relatively soon. Menu. PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey announced Monday that Arizona schools will be closed through the end of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Here's what you need to know about why the state came so close to cutting school spending. John Brown expects to graduate in May 2023 with a bachelors degree in journalism and a minor in political science. It requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers. In central Arizona, the Congress Elementary School District board met Wednesday and reviewed contingency plans. Some school districts maintain their own dashboards online. 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. That puts $638 million of funding a year at risk money that didnt used to count toward the limit but does now. Public schools in Atlanta, Georgia also marked August 4, 2021 as the first day of the 2021-2022 academic year. Politicians are holding our school districts hostage to try to get their way on two things that arent related, Secretary Hobbs said. 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." While other counties do not have dashboards, some school districts have made their own, such as Kingman Unified School District #20 in Mohave County. 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. The money is already in the district bank accounts. Todays announcement is intended to give parents and educators as much certainty as possible so they can plan and make decisions. Brown has previously interned at MSNBC, NBC 5 Chicago and PBS NewsHour West. For some of America's schools, 2022 sure feels a lot like 2020. It allows people to lift themselves out of poverty. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. AZCIR is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, Tax ID #46-1209940. Read more at UArizona News. There is no other choice but to suspend and repeal the cap.. Parents are best suited to make decisions about their childs education. 2023 Cronkite News. Phase 2, 2022-2023. The deadline for a decision is March 1. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The 10,000 pupils in the Lansing Public School District are stuck in virtual mode until at least next week. The previous survey's results (Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022) remain available in . Arizona School Calendar 2023. News. "That would be an incredible disaster. Virtually no one's pressing to close schools, Hurt students for the unvaccinated? However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. Creative Commons. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. According to Education Forward Arizona, the Legislature last overrode the gap in 2007 and 2008. Horne, for his part, says he is in support of lifting the cap and is even considering a repeal. Districts will be forced to lay off huge numbers of teachers, resulting in enormous class sizes. 6 Arizona schools awarded the 2022 National Blue Ribbon School honor. said Lewis. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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. Schools across the country are shutting down again. Close your doors for even a day and you will pay. And students are still trying to recover from the impact of COVID-induced learning interruptions. All rights reserved. All stories must run in their entirety unless otherwise noted or agreed upon after discussion with AZCIR. All material must be attributed and credited prominently, and where appropriate for the material type throughout. Do schools and child care establishments have to report COVID-19 outbreaks to their local health departments? Two-thirds of each house of the legislature would need to vote on a concurrent resolution to approve the excess spending. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. "Back then in '80, we had schoolbooks and chalkboards and all kinds of things that didn't cost near as much.". including Savanna Elementary School District in California and the Chandler Unified School District in Arizona. She is working for the Phoenix news bureau. Coconino County publishes a COVID-19 school update every Friday that summarizes case rate and percent positivity at district level. 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. Not because of COVID-19 this time, but because of a perfect storm of problems with our state's school funding system. In a news release, Ducey, alongside . 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Pima County tracks cases by school district. We are not adding any new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money that you budgeted to them last year. 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. 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. Shaena Montanari is an investigative reporter for AZCIR focused on covering health disparities. "[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,". We knew this was going to become an issue. 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. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. abc15.com staff 8:18 AM, Sep 16 . #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } Itll be scheduled, and I think most people expect that itll be passed by enough to make (the overages) no longer an issue.. UArizona ranks 29 among top 100 universities granted US utility patents in 2022. 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. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Consequently, this list will no longer be updated unless case rates again force a substantial number of schools to close. Mail it to AZCIR: PO Box 3665, Phoenix, AZ 85030. 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. AZCIR holds powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism. By: Sheenae Shannon, AEA Communications Director. We changed the rules on schools. This limitation excludes charter schools and only applies to district public schools. 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. Edwards, who graduated from ASU in 2021, has interned with Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Magazine and Crime and Justice News. Photos, graphics and other visual elements are permitted for one-time-use only. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It reduces the burden on taxpayers and improves the economy for all of us. Maricopa County tracks schools with active and resolved outbreaks in a dashboard, but does not differentiate by school or district. 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. "I think the community is really just frustrated and kind of sick of this because it feels almost like a political football game. You are not adding new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money you budgeted to them last year, she said. 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.. Watch Now. 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.
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