PHOENIX – Governor Hobbs’ veto of legislation that would give parents access to a new federal school tax credit that is usable in public and private schools is drawing disappointment from state schools chief Tom Horne.

The ADE/ESS Special Education Program Approval system for the 2026–2027 school year will open on April 13, 2026.

PHOENIX – State school superintendent Tom Horne is urging Governor Hobbs to sign legislation currently on her desk that would add more money to the classroom for students in public district, charter and other school settings. The bill would include Arizona in a new federal school tax credit opportunity.

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says the governor’s veto of a bi-partisan bill to allow the public to see the salaries of district superintendents and other executive staff is outrageous and a slap against accountability for tax dollars.

As of March 30, 2026, a new special education (SPED) data integrity rule was implemented to validate and capture student exits from SPED services. Under IDEA, students are eligible for SPED services through 21 years of age unless they have graduated with a regular high school diploma. Students who turn 22 years of age during the school year are eligible to complete the year with services; however, they have effectively reached the maximum age allowable for services.

Section 618 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public education agencies (PEAs) to report specific data each year, including discipline incidents for students receiving special education services, expulsions of students not receiving special education services, and students who exited special education during the reporting year. PEAs review, validate, and certify these data using the Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD).

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.

The ESS Data Management team is holding a webinar via Zoom to guide PEAs through end-of-year reporting in the SEDD application. The session will cover recent application updates, exit and discipline data requirements, and key deadlines to support accurate and timely reporting. A recording of the webinar will be made available for those unable to attend.

The FY27 Statement of Assurances application is open for submission. All public education agencies (PEAs) must submit the IDEA Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the Exceptional Student Services (ESS) Portal within ADEConnect. This is required before any FY27 activities in the ESS Portal are allowable. The portal will block any PEA that has not completed the SOA effective July 1, 2026, which is when FY27 begins. 

PHOENIX – State schools superintendent Tom Horne says Democrats who voted against HB 4109, a bill requiring schools to report life-threatening on-campus incidents, are harming the ability of schools to do everything possible to protect the safety and lives of students, educators and staff.