Arizona Department of Education

Superintendent of Public Instruction Names New Chief Information Officer

(Phoenix, Ariz., May, 2017) – Dramatic cuts to the FY2018 budget for the Arizona Department of Education’s (ADE) information technology system have resulted in the departure of the department’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Diane Douglas, the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction announced today.

Mark Masterson, ADE CIO, will leave the department to pursue other opportunities. Masterson spearheaded ADE’s transition to the state’s new student data system. During his tenure, the ADE technology team was named one of CIO magazine’s “Top 100 Most Innovative IT Organizations in 2015.”

“I’m not the type of person to just maintain the current system in its unfinished state,” Masterson said. “It looks like the state does not plan to finish AzEDS or begin the replacement of APOR and CHAR, so there is little to keep me here.”

Mark Masterson has given notice he will be departing August 1, 2017 to insure a smooth transition. ADE Chief Technology Officer Satish Pattisapu, one of the leaders of this renowned team, has been named CIO.

Pattisapu has supervised ADE IT activities including software development and quality assurance since 2011.

“We are extremely fortunate to have a leader like Satish who can immediately step in to oversee all of our continuing IT efforts,” Superintendent Douglas said. “Under his leadership, I am confident that our IT team will continue to perform despite the limited resources that are available.”

Douglas has been a strong supporter of technology development and data security in Arizona education since taking office.

“Mark Masterson has done an incredible job at replacing SAIS with AzEDS and it is extremely unfortunate that we are losing him,” stated the Superintendent.

The ADE IT system distributes more than $5 billion of state aid to Arizona schools. In FY2017 ADE received a one-time budget allocation of $7.3 million in dedicated IT funding. In the FY2018 budget, ADE will receive the same amount which will hamper efforts to update antiquated school payment systems. The Department requested $17.6 million to maintain and complete its IT projects.

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Empowerment Scholarship Account Statement Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas

Phoenix, Ariz. April 7, 2017 – Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas said today she supports the measured expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program at the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) as outlined in legislation signed yesterday by Gov. Doug Ducey.

Superintendent Douglas said, “The legislation signed yesterday will allow more parents to choose schools that best meet their children’s needs. As a supporter of educational choice in all its forms, I am pleased to see the ESA program expanded in a measured way that keeps oversight of how taxpayer dollars are spent with the Department. I applaud the work of the Legislature and Governor Ducey in expanding options for parents in Arizona.

“To ensure the program has the resources it needs to serve parents and fully account for allowable expenditures, I am calling on the Legislature to fund the administration of the program at the full four percent of ESA allocations as provided by law. Those additional monies will allow our staff to address the additional requirements set forth in the new law and properly manage the program as it grows.”

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Zip Code Project to Launch Two Key Phoenix Communities

(Phoenix, Ariz., April 29, 2017) – Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas kicked off the Phoenix launch of the Zip Code Project, a program at the Arizona Department of Education that assists disconnected youth. At the press conference on Thursday, integral members of the education community spoke to the continued development of the Zip Code Project in Phoenix neighborhoods, in addition to the work already accomplished in other parts of the state.

“It is impossible for our education system to prepare students to be successful citizens if they are not attending school,” Superintendent Douglas said. “Our mission with the Zip Code Project is to help these young adults get back on track to a fulfilling, happy and productive life. Our job is to give them every opportunity to get a first-class education, as well as a chance to pursue their hopes and dreams.”

The event was hosted in the South Phoenix at South Mountain High School, which along with Maryvale, are the two communities that were launched in the Phoenix area. Chinle and Ajo are the other two zip codes that have integrated the program into their communities.

Starting from the ground floor in 2015 with limited funding, Zip Code Manager Christopher Dickinson has collaborated and partnered with local clergy, community organizations, cities, neighborhoods, parole and probation officers, alternative high schools, as well as education and business leaders to assist these youth. “The Zip Code Project leverages public-private partnerships to identify and implement solutions and resources to prevent to assist with dropout prevention and support alternative paths to success,” Dickinson said. “This is not an easy issue to combat, but I am grateful to all of the communities for their continuous support and dedication. I look forward to even further expansion of this program to more zip codes throughout the state in the near future.”

For more information on the program or to get involved, visit www.azed.gov/zipcode/.

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Superintendent Diane Douglas: “If We Pay Them, They Will Teach”

(Phoenix, Ariz., April 27, 2017) – Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas today unveiled a proposal to permanently extend and expand Proposition 301 monies to a full 1 percent, which if supported by voters would result in an immediate 11 percent raise for teachers and $100 million for school facilities.

“My proposal would generate $400 million annually for teacher salaries and school buildings,” Douglas stated. “By setting aside the majority of this funding for teacher salaries, we will provide close to an 11 percent raise for teachers in the first year, which means nearly $5,000 more in take-home pay. Using the remaining funding for school facilities can help address another looming crisis, which is the depreciation of our school buildings and infrastructure.”

Thursday’s announcement was shared in Douglas’ presentation to the Arizona Business Education Coalition (ABEC), a group of Arizona business and education leaders committed to helping develop effective public education policy. Her announcement comes on the cusp of the Superintendent’s next annual statewide We Are Listening Tour, which is where these two critical issues were repeatedly brought to her attention. Click HERE for the entire ABEC presentation.

“Only an overarching vision and decisive action will allow us to solve our current education crises, the first of which is that teachers need to be paid more,” Douglas shared with the ABEC audience. “I thank the Governor and Legislature for making teacher pay an important part of their budget discussions this session, and I look forward to working with them to take this next step once a budget is finalized.”

Douglas’ proposal would dedicate $300 million per year to teacher salaries and $100 million per year to school capital repairs in the first two years. In years three and beyond, the plan calls for $350 million per year dedicated to teacher salaries and sets aside $50 million per year for school capital. Click HERE for the chart outlining the proposal.

Douglas also expressed support for the restructuring of current Proposition 301 funding to allocate even more money for teacher salaries.

For more information and updates about the proposal, visit www.azed.gov.