I'd like to receive updates & guidance about the 2022-2023 School Year. All rights reserved. The previous survey's results (Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022) remain available in . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. How aggressively will the state enforce the ban? A lot of those kids are now back in school, but thats affecting the limit by about $300 million, he said. But in 2018, the Legislature extended Proposition 301, without exempting it. Now, schools cant even spend the still inadequate funds they were counting on to keep our schools open? The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". State Sen. T.J. Shope, a Republican, does not support repealing the cap. 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. Judy Schwiebert is a member of the Arizona House, representing District 20 in the West Valley. Districts will be forced to lay off huge numbers of teachers, resulting in enormous class sizes. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Her position is partially funded by Report for America, a national program that supports local journalists. Arizona's Constitutional Aggregate Expenditure Limit (AEL) If the Legislature doesnt override the limit, schools will only have a couple of months to cut $1.2 billion.. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In a news release, Ducey, alongside Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, said the extension of the school closures follows updated guidance from the CDC and the extension of social distancing guidelines until the end of April from the White House. On Aug. 16, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled the ban therefore would not take effect until Sept. 29. We need an override by the Legislature, and then we need to fix it for the future.. We are not adding any new money or raising taxes, just letting them spend all the money that you budgeted to them last year. Closing schools again won't stop omicron. It'll just hurt kids. "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. Not because of COVID-19 this time, but because of a perfect storm of problems with our state's school funding system. 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. Business, finance, policy, compliance, operations. 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. Campbell, who was a senior reporter at The State Press, is working for the Phoenix news bureau. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. 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. School Disruptions Omicron Upends Return to School in U.S. - New York Times 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Were talking closing schools altogether. Or, they will have to close schools altogether by April 1. Similar Facebook posts were shared in early August 2021 claiming some schools are closing their doors again, such as here, . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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. Public schools in Atlanta, Georgia also marked August 4, 2021 as the first day of the 2021-2022 academic year. Berry said she and fellow financial officers of neighboring school districts dont know where the money from the budgets will go if the Legislature doesnt override the cap. Not because of COVID-19 this time, but because of a perfect storm of problems with our states school funding system. 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. All rights reserved. Its kind of like kicking our kids when theyre already down, isnt it? We also need to take the next step, to abolish this arbitrary, antiquated policy. Are US Schools Closing Again Due To Rising COVID-19 Cases - Boom Live 2023 Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In the past, when districts hit the decades-old aggregate expenditure limit, lawmakers voted to override it which hasn't . 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. Public school districts, mostly across the Northeast and Midwest, closed this week as the omicron variant of coronavirus surges following the winter break and the country's students face a mental . 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..

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