education

Business Leaders Urge Increased Education Funding

Howard Fischer — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:46:11 +0000

A parade of business leaders urged lawmakers today to provide money to implement the new common core standards for K-12 education.

The Numbers Behind English Instruction In Arizona

Jude Joffe-Block — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:26:35 +0000

Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Education last month showed that only 25 percent of English Language Learners in Arizona high schools graduate in four years.

AZ's Ed. Superintendent Says Parents Should Ensure Schools are Prepared for Violence

Howard Fischer and howard — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:24:19 +0000

The state's top education official said this afternoon it's up to parents -- and not his agency -- to ensure that local school personnel have the training they need to prevent -- or at least deal with -- shootings like the one in Connecticut.

Dropout Nation: From Detention To Diploma

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:34:21 +0000

The high school dropout rate for American Indians is almost twice the national average. Educators in Flagstaff, Ariz., have tried to turn that trend around. And they’ve had some success at a place you wouldn’t suspect -- the Coconino County Juvenile Detention Center.

10% of Education Sales Tax to Go For Roads

Howard Fischer — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:08:02 +0000

The organizer of a proposed permanent one-cent hike in state sales taxes on Tuesday defended earmarking 10 percent of the proceeds for road construction.

Ann-Eve Pedersen said Arizona has cut state aid to education in the last five years more than any other state. She said Proposition 204 would provide needed tax dollars the Legislature cannot take. If approved, the measure would initially raise $1 billion a year. But 10 percent automatically goes for roads. Pedersen said that is justified.

Fingerprinting Backlog Costing School Districts

Gillian Ferris — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 19:27:28 +0000

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is reporting a backlog of thousands of fingerprinting applications from teachers statewide. The delay could be a problem as districts gear up for the start of the school year.

DPS is reporting a backlog of at least 12,000 fingerprinting applications. Fingerprint clearance is a crucial step in teacher background and criminal history checks.

Last week alone, DPS received nearly seven thousand new applications.

Officials generally process about 5,000 fingerprint cards per week.

Loss of Students in N. AZ Public Schools May be Slowing

Zac Ziegler — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:01:39 +0000

The sound of school buses is familiar during the school year.

But residents of Chino Valley now hear those sounds only four days a week.

Jon Scholl, with the Chino Valley Unified School District, says cutting back on bus service saved the district money.

Penny Sales Tax Initiative Formally Launched Today

Howard Fischer — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:15:04 +0000

An initiative drive launched today seeks to let voters decide if they want to make permanent the 1-cent sales tax set to expire next year.

The proposal would earmark about 75 percent of the billion dollars a year for education, mostly for K-12 funding but also for college scholarships. Initiative organizer Ann-Eve Pedersen said this is not just throwing money at the problem, with some public school funding tied to performance.

Lawmakers Drop Bill Requiring Univ. Students Have "Skin in the Game"

Howard Fischer — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:21:31 +0000

Students at the state's three universities are no longer in danger of having to pay $2,000 a year out of their own pocket.

Rep. John Kavanagh said while tuition is approaching $10,000 a year, the record shows about half of all students pay absolutely nothing at all toward that bill. He said they get a mix of state aid and federal grants. Kavanagh said that lack of what he calls skin in the game makes students less serious about their studies. So he proposed that minimum $2,000 investment, whether personal funds or borrowed. But Kavanagh said today he is giving up.

Bill Would Deny Medical Marijuana to College Students on Campus

Howard Fischer — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:56:41 +0000

The 2010 voter-approved medical marijuana law allows those with a doctor's recommendation to obtain up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks. While the measure bars use of the drug on public school campuses, there is no such ban at colleges and universities.