Arizona Department of Education Announces an Additional $16 million in Federal Relief and Recovery Allocations to Support Public Schools, Teachers, and Students

Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman and the Arizona Department of Education today announced the distribution of over $16 million to support Arizona’s public schools, educators, leaders, and families through strategic partnerships and initiatives. These allocations, combined with previous announcements, total over $116 million in support of Arizona’s students and public schools. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed many long-standing inequities impacting Arizona students and families,” said Superintendent Hoffman. “Through these partnerships and investments, the Department can, and should maximize the impact of these one-time federal dollars and ensure long-term recovery support for our public schools and the students they serve.”  

The following are ADE Discretionary Fund Investments to date: 

Student Equity & Achievement 

NEW: $9.6 million – Partnership with ASU Prep Digital: Math Momentum 

NEW: $1 million – Parent Educator Academy: All in Education 

NEW: $500k – Special Education Cost Study  

NEW: $100k – Opportunities for Youth  

NEW: $500k – Holistic Youth Transformation Program: New Pathways for Youth 

NEW: $300k – Time is Now Youth Mentorship: Big Brothers, Big Sisters 

$5 million – Special Education Compensatory Services Fund  

$1 million – Funding for Arizona’s Office of Indian Education 

Educator Recruitment & Retention 

NEW: $1 million – Diné Institute Teacher Fellows: Northern Arizona University 

NEW: Additional $300k – Partnership with University of Arizona’s Center for Recruitment & Retention of Math Educators for Professional Development, for a total of $500k 

$2.5 million – Partnership with ASU Prep Digital: Arizona Virtual Teacher Institute 

$2.5 million – Partnership with Arizona K-12 Center: New Teacher Mentoring 

Safe & Healthy Schools 

NEW: Additional $100k – Social Emotional Learning: Trauma-Sensitive Training and Support for Schools, for a total of $470k 

$21.3 Million – Addition of 140 School Counselor & Social Worker Positions through the School Safety Grant Program  

Serving Arizona Schools Through the Pandemic and Beyond 

NEW: $853k – Laptop and Hotspot Partnership with City of Phoenix 

$2.3 Million – Support for Community Based Organizations, YMCA and Boys & Girls Club  

$1.5 Million – Expanding Rural Broadband with the Final Mile Project 

$15k – Kajeet Hotspots for Students & Families 

Post-Secondary Access & Attainment 

NEW: $600k – Partnership with AdviseAZ Americorps: College and Career Counseling  

NEW: $1.5 million – Support for Ask Benji Chatbot: Increase FAFSA Completion Rates 

$20k – Partnership with Arizona College Access Network 

Additional Relief Funding for Public Schools 

$44.6 million – Support for Non-Title I-A Local Education Agencies 

$12.2 million – Additional Support for Title I-A Local Education Agencies 

$6.3 million – Support for Career & Technical Education Districts  

For more information, please visit: azed.gov/esser-setaside 

Background:  

In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed three separate COVID-19 federal relief packages. These packages delivered millions of dollars directly to schools and districts and, separately, provided the Arizona Department of Education with discretionary and required set aside ESSER funds to dedicate toward statewide strategic projects and investments. These investments are made to support schools' recovery needs and increase learning opportunities for students through 2024.  

Each of ADE’s allocations follow a rubric to ensure the following: 

• Support for students and communities most impacted by COVID-19. 
• Expand schools’ access to evidence-based programs and trainings.  
• Address multiple factors that impact students' academics, including: 

• Social-emotional wellbeing 
• Educator workforce shortages 
• Family internet connectivity 

• Ability to measure success and impact of investments

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