Watch Now. Horne, for his part, says he is in support of lifting the cap and is even considering a repeal. January 6, 2022 at 11:22 a.m. EST. These efforts are crucial, and we recognize that schools are making every effort possible to continue providing instruction during closures. That has a negative economic impact on all of us. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Its going to be very, very hard to do.. On Aug. 16, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled the ban therefore would not take effect until Sept. 29. A clear picture of school-based COVID-19 outbreaks has so far proven elusive, given the rapidly evolving situation and the fact that neither the Arizona Department of Health nor the Arizona Department of Education publishes a dashboard of statewide COVID cases in schools. Shaena Montanari is an investigative reporter for AZCIR focused on covering health disparities. */. School closures and shifts to remote instruction are quickly becoming less common as COVID case rates drop in many states. US schools close again as children's mental health declared national USA TODAY. Then stop playing politics with our children and follow your own advice. Prop 208 is a voter-approved tax hike on high-earners. . Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. The latest Arizona headlines, national news events of the day + sports and weather updates. Oh sure, COVID-19 is spiking yet again with the highly contagious omicron variant. This is their way of saying no to 208 even though the voters passed it overwhelmingly, she said. "I think the community is really just frustrated and kind of sick of this because it feels almost like a political football game. Updates for Fall 2022. Two-thirds of each house of the legislature would need to vote on a concurrent resolution to approve the excess spending. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. All rights reserved. Gov. Although the money from the proposition will go toward public education, Essigs said not one penny of that money is in this years budget., That money will not start showing up until next year, he said. School Disruptions Omicron Upends Return to School in U.S. - New York Times 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. So that cash will just sit there, we believe.. The measure did not need to be signed by the Governor. 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. Or more specifically, we will pay … for parents to send their kids to private school. 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. 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. While other counties do not have dashboards, some school districts have made their own, such as Kingman Unified School District #20 in Mohave County. We need to repeal it. Consequently, this list will no longer be updated unless case rates again force a substantial number of schools to close. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Gov. The cap only affects district public schools; charter schools did not exist in 1980. Which states are hurting the most when it comes to teacher How To Work With Our Editorial Department. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. 360 Hiatt Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. Districts based their budgets on money the Legislature already approved. 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. The district provided no in-person classes from March 2020 through the end of the . Lane, who is a digital production intern with The Arizona Republic, is working for the Phoenix news bureau. January 7, 2022. Gallego raises more money than Sinema in Arizona Senate race School's out for the rest of the school year, as a result of the pandemic. 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. No schools were reported several weeks in January and February. How aggressively will the state enforce the ban? Todays announcement is intended to give parents and educators as much certainty as possible so they can plan and make decisions. Classes in Chicago Public Schools were canceled for the second day Thursday, the result of an impasse over the teachers union's desire to return to remote . And students are still trying to recover from the impact of COVID-induced learning interruptions. They may get sick but for them it is, thank God, more like getting the flu than getting a death sentence. But because of legislative inaction, our districts are facing a school closure ticking timebomb. Some districts maintain their own dashboards online. 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. His Open for Learning Recovery Benefit program offers up to $7,000 that can be used to pay private school tuition for any child whose school closes for even a day of in-person instruction. I'd like to receive updates & guidance about the 2022-2023 School Year. Look at our options. 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. In 2000, when voters approved Proposition 301 to fund education for 20 years, they exempted that money from counting toward the expenditure limit. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In central Arizona, the Congress Elementary School District board met Wednesday and reviewed contingency plans. Now, if only he would quit fighting schools that enact policies aimed at staying open. Pima County tracks cases by school district. Why are schools closing for COVID again? | The Week By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. When does the states ban on school mask requirements take effect? Arizona school funding cut deadline looms, Legislature yet to act If the Legislature doesnt override the limit, schools will only have a couple of months to cut $1.2 billion.. All material must be attributed and credited prominently, and where appropriate for the material type throughout. Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, such as here, . Parents are best suited to make decisions about their childs education. 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. The restrictions now apply statewide with cases reported in all 15 counties. We all have to reduce our budgets by April 1 if they dont approve the budget, so at that point, we cant over expand our budget, she said. In the past, when districts hit the decades-old aggregate expenditure limit, lawmakers voted to override it which hasn't . 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." The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the states only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. School closings fueled by omicron variant and home COVID test shortage Districts will be forced to lay off huge numbers of teachers, resulting in enormous class sizes. I am tired of legislative leaders playing political games with public schools, educators and students. Doug Ducey, who for months had emphasized personal responsibility over pandemic-related mandates, signed off. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0c320a4bc898f7 Though some counties and school districts are monitoring outbreaks at the local level, there is no centralized tracking system. And as state and local officials argue over the bans merit, COVID-19 continues to spread. Thats a death rate of 0.02%. Coconino County publishes a COVID-19 school update every Friday that summarizes case rate and percent positivity at district level. Madison School . These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Get AZCIRs latest investigations and updates delivered straight into your inbox. The county has provided a form letter school officials can use that says those who are not fully vaccinated or have not tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days are to quarantine (stay) at home for up to 10 days.. 2023 Cronkite News. You are not adding new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money you budgeted to them last year, she said. 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.