Education
Medical program additions at ASU, UA and NAU aim to curb Arizona’s health care worker shortage
With a shortage of health care professionals across the state, Arizona’s public universities are expanding their program offerings to boost health education and the number of certified professionals. In the past year, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona have all announced major health care program additions. The Arizona Board of […]
Committee praises charter school board, recommends 10-year continuance
The Arizona Senate and House education committees have put their backing behind the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools to continue its work regulating charter schools for another 10 years. Like many other state boards, the charter school board must be renewed by the legislature at least once every decade, so the committees on Wednesday […]
Gov, AG and schools ask court to reject Horne’s lawsuit against dual-language instruction
A lawsuit opposing dual language instruction for immigrant students launched by Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne should be thrown out of court because he has no power to sue in his official role and he failed to sue the right people, the defendants told the court. Schools in the Grand Canyon State can choose one of […]
We want to help more tribal communities get connected, but we need Congress to act
Today, school-aged children on local tribal lands are boarding buses to and from school with an internet connection that allows them to do their homework and make productive use of the four-hour roundtrip commute. For many, this is the first reliable internet connection they’ve ever had, and it’s key to closing the homework gap in […]
Tom Horne is violating students’ rights and promoting Islamophobia, critics say
A local Muslim civil rights group is pushing back on criticism of Amnesty International in Arizona schools leveled last week by Tom Horne, the state’s schools chief, saying his comments violate the free speech rights of students and contribute to rising Islamophobia. Earlier this month, the student-led chapters of UNICEF and Amnesty International at Desert […]
More questions than answers on school vouchers as a legislative oversight committee wraps up
Many questions about how Arizona’s school voucher system will impact funding for public schools and the larger state budget remain unanswered after the likely final meeting of a temporary legislative oversight committee. But parents who receive government funding to send their children to private schools or homeschool them through the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program […]
Republicans unveil proposal to address Arizona teacher shortage with $4,000 raises
Arizona teachers could see a $4,000 pay raise in 2025 if a revised version of Prop. 123 championed by Republican lawmakers gets sent to the 2024 ballot and wins voter approval. The “Teacher Pay Fund,” which was unveiled Monday by GOP lawmakers, will be a top priority for the party in the upcoming legislative session. […]
Tom Horne says ‘antisemitic’ UNICEF and Amnesty International shouldn’t be in AZ schools
Arizona’s schools chief is urging public schools to disband student clubs sponsored by UNICEF and Amnesty International after a pro-Palestine meeting at a Scottsdale high school presented content that Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne called antisemitic and despicable. “I have no authority to tell the schools what to do on this, but I advise […]
AZ schools chief falsely claims Chandler schools are dumbing down their education
Chandler Unified School District says Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, the top education official in the state, made apparently baseless accusations about how the district teaches math when he spoke to a far-right group in September. “Chandler just eliminated their Advanced Placement courses. They adopted, believe it or not, equity math,” Horne said at […]
AZ is 2nd worst in the nation for teacher pay gap
Teachers in the Grand Canyon State face the second-worst pay gap in the country, earning a third less than other college-educated employees. The most recent teacher pay analysis from the Economic Policy Institute found that Arizona teachers earned 33.2% less last year than other workers with college degrees did, placing the state just behind Colorado’s […]
Hundreds gather at ASU events with opposing views of Israelis, Palestinians
TEMPE – Hamas, which the U.S. State Department has designated a terrorist organization, launched an attack on Israel this past Saturday. More than 1,200 were dead as of Wednesday, according to media reports, and Israel on Sunday declared war on Hamas. Hamas governs more than 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Founded in 1987, […]
Flat tax, school vouchers and slowing sales taxes driving $400 million budget shortfall
When Arizona lawmakers passed a budget in June, they expected to have a $10 million surplus by the end of the fiscal year. But just a few months later, the state now forecasts a $400 million deficit. That predicted deficit is driven by the state’s newly implemented flat income tax, a slowing in sales tax […]