The School Finance - Operations Support Team is hosting a webinar to review updates and upcoming changes to guidance. If you would like to attend, please register using the following link: School Finance End of Year Updates. 

The webinar is on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 10:00 AM. 

The chapter on Defining Excused Absences in the School Finance Manual has been updated and is now available on the School Finance webpage under School Finance Guidelines & Manuals. Along with the updated guidance, a resource video has been added to clarify the new sections concerning non-fundable intervals. 

Don't miss out on three exciting opportunities at the 2025 IDEA Conference: Access Cultivates Opportunity, August 21–22, 2025, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.

Nominations for Arizona Secondary Transition Services Awards
Recognize outstanding contributions to secondary transition services. Nominate a youth/young adult, community member, or educator by submitting an online nomination form.

Call for Student Artwork
Showcase student talent at the IDEA Conference! If you know a student artist interested in displaying his or her artwork, please complete the 2025 Student Artwork Entry form.

Youth and Family Scholarships
Scholarships are available for Arizona youth and their families to attend the conference. Apply using the Youth and Family Scholarship application.

The deadline for these opportunities is May 27, 2025.

For more information, visit the IDEA Conference website or email the IDEA Conference inbox.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

Special Education Data Dashboard is Now Open: Wednesday, May 7, 2025  

This alert is to inform you that the Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD) application is now OPEN. 

SEDD is a one-stop shop for public education agencies (PEAs) to securely review their SPED data collected over the fiscal reporting year and certify said SPED data at year-end. 

Accessing the SEDD application 

1. Navigate to ADEConnect.  

2. Click "View Applications." 

3. Locate the parent/district level entity for your organization. ([PEA Name] ([EntityID])) 

4. Click the "Exceptional Student Services Portal" link.  

5. Locate the "Data Collection and Reporting" section.  

6. Click the "Special Education Data Dashboard" link. 

Review your data for each site within your PEA. Please make any applicable corrections to your data within your Student Information System (SIS) before the close of AzEDS reporting for the fiscal year.  

Technical Assistance 

Please view our technical assistance information, including the SEDD Manual, available on the ESS Data Management/SEDD Webpage 
SEDD training will be held on Thursday, May 8th, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM via Microsoft Teams. Click here to register now. 
The recording will be made available on the SEDD page the following week. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

ESS Data Management 
Exceptional Student Services 
Arizona Department of Education 
Email: [email protected] 
Phone: 602-542-3962 
Data Management Webpage  

Are you looking to increase teaching collaboration between general educators and special educators in early mathematics?  The ADE/ESS/Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices team is excited to announce a new professional learning series designed to support five school teams as they seek to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in Mathematics. The learning series includes in-person training, coaching, and follow-up virtual sessions.  See flyer.
Teaching Partners: Sparking Curiosity with Problem Solving, Raising Student Voice
Grades 4-9

Learning Series Description  
Join us as we explore how to empower students to delve into problem-solving enthusiastically. We will use low-floor/high-ceiling tasks rooted in routines and lesson structures that develop language and mathematics authentically and purposefully. Cecilio Dimas will lead participants through learning experiences that utilize Math Language Routines. You will gain practical strategies that you can use right away in your classrooms and develop structures for lasting learning for students.  Additional coaching support for administrators and instructional coaches on feedback and implementation practices will be provided as well. 

Dates for In-Person Learning Sessions for All Participants:  

• Two-day in-person sessions on September 17–18, 2025, from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm each day in Tempe, AZ.  

Dates for Two Virtual Learning Sessions for All Participants  

• Zoom Webinar on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, from 4:00 pm–6:00 pm.  
• Zoom Webinar on Thursday, November 6, 2025, from 4:00 pm–6:00 pm.  

Dates for Three Virtual Learning Sessions for Coaches and Administrators:  

• Zoom Webinars on dates to be determined for October 2025, December 2025, and January 2026.   

Fee  
$50 per participant  

School team requirements (up to 6 members):  

• At least one general education teacher and one special education teacher teaching the same grade level  

• One instructional coach, specialist, or teacher leader  

• One administrator  

• Two additional teammates can be a general education teacher, special education teacher, instructional coach, and/or administrator.  

Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants are due by July 1, 2025. Applicants will be notified about the result of their application on or before July 8, 2025. Apply for the Teaching Partnerships Learning Series  

About Cecilio Dimas  

Cecilio Dimas is Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative (SVMI). Cecilio has served as a mathematics coordinator and has supported districts in their efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. He has taught at both elementary and secondary levels. SVMI has played a vital role in his development as a learner, teacher, coach, facilitator, and administrator. Cecilio enjoys working with students, teachers, and administrators and believes that fostering the development of critical-thinking, collaboration, and communication skills while nurturing language development and cultivating joy in the mathematics classroom is essential for all students to thrive in our local, national, and global communities.   

Horne joins lawmakers, educators and law enforcement praising new law

PHOENIX – More armed school campus officers, added safety technology and training are highlights of bipartisan school safety legislation that has now become law.

HB 2074, sponsored by Rep. Matt Gress (R) – Phoenix, was approved by the legislature in April and signed into law by Gov. Hobbs on Tuesday. The measure expands the highly successful School Safety Program in multiple ways, including allowing retired law enforcement officers to be eligible to serve as school officers.

State schools superintendent Tom Horne stated, “I am very pleased that this bill has become law. There is a need for more armed officers in schools and expanding the pool of available law enforcement professionals to include those who have retired in good standing is a commonsense idea that will put more officers in schools, making campuses safer. The added training and technology will increase the value of this successful program that makes our students, educators and staff safer on campus.”

Representative Gress said, “Schools must be places where all students, teachers, and staff feel safe. I’m proud that this bill has been signed—crafted through collaboration with educators, certified mental health professionals, law enforcement, legislators, and Superintendent Tom Horne—into law. This marks a major step forward in implementing meaningful, commonsense school safety enhancements.”

The law provides for schools to add safety equipment and infrastructure. In addition, districts and charters will train officers on how to interact with students with disabilities as well as receive training on civil rights, adolescent mental health issues and student privacy law. The law also requires districts and charters to prepare and submit a campus emergency response plan.

     DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team will host the next live Special Education Data Updates webinar on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. This session will cover a variety of data topics that will include:    

• Reminders  

• Trending topics  

• Top Three Integrity Errors 

• Q&A     

Please register by clicking this link. Registration is required to attend. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Data Management inbox.  

ADE/ESS is thrilled to announce that registration is now open for Arizona's 2025 IDEA Conference: Access Cultivates Opportunity. This year's conference will take place from August 21–22, 2025, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix.

The registration fee for professionals is $400 per person, payable by credit card, check, or purchase order. Given the approaching procurement deadlines for PEAs, we encourage you to register promptly, as spots are expected to fill quickly.

Registration Process:

1. Request a Seat: Submit your seat request by July 25, 2025.
2. Submit Payment: Once your seat request is approved, you will receive payment instructions to complete your registration through the Arizona Professional Learning & Development (APLD) application.

To ensure equal access, we may limit the number of attendees per district or charter organization. Please note that if payment is submitted without an approved seat request, it will be canceled. You will need to submit a seat request first.
For more information on registration, including how to make a Save My Seat request, lodging options, and FAQs, please visit the IDEA Conference Registration webpage.

Budget forms for the upcoming fiscal year are typically published shortly after the State budget passes to incorporate any changes in State law. Since the FY 2026 State budget has not yet passed, School Finance and the Auditor General's Office are planning to publish preliminary budget forms to allow districts and charters to plan budget preparation processes and governing board meetings.

The Auditor General's Office expects to publish preliminary budget forms for use in budget proposal and adoption by Thursday, May 22nd if the State budget has not passed and does not appear likely to pass the following week. Please note that preliminary budget forms will not account for routine annual changes, such as inflation, and will not anticipate any other changes to State law. Therefore, any district or charter that proposes its budget using the preliminary budget forms must also adopt the preliminary forms, then revise its budget in early FY 2026 using the final budget forms to incorporate any changes in State law. Districts in which the qualifying levy is greater than the equalization base (non-State-aid districts), in particular, should be aware of the impact of preliminary forms on the budget and discuss property tax rate considerations with counties if preliminary budget forms are used with revisions expected. We will provide a timeframe for final budget form issuance once final changes in State law are known.

If the State budget passes before May 22nd, or appears likely to pass the following week, the Auditor General’s Office will not publish preliminary forms and will instead publish the final budget forms as soon as possible after the budget passes. The final forms will account for all changes in State law, and it may not be necessary to revise the budget in early FY 2026.

School Finance will continue to provide updates via Hot Topic when more information is available.

Thank you!

Are you looking to increase teaching collaboration between general educators and special educators in early mathematics? 

The ADE/ESS/Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices team is excited to announce a new professional learning series designed to support five school teams as they seek to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in Mathematics. The learning series includes in-person training, coaching, and follow-up virtual sessions. 

Teaching Partners: Building Number Sense, Foundations for Math Success
Grades K–3rd

Learning Series Description 
Join us for an engaging and hands-on professional learning experience focused on strengthening early mathematics instruction. This learning series will support educators in identifying struggle points in number sense development and providing targeted interventions that lay the groundwork for long-term success in mathematics. Our featured host, Suzi Mast, will guide participants through hands-on learning, modeling instructional routines and strategies that foster mathematical thinking, language, and understanding in young learners. Additional coaching support for administrators and instructional coaches on feedback and implementation practices will be provided as well. Brochure here.

Dates for In-Person Learning Sessions for All Participants: 

• Two-day in-person sessions on September 4th–5th from 8:30–4:30 each day in Tempe, AZ. 

Dates for Two Virtual Learning Sessions for All Participants 

• Zoom Webinar on August 14, 2025, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. 
• Zoom Webinar on November 13, 2025, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. 

Dates for Three Virtual Learning Sessions for Coaches and Administrators: 

• Zoom Webinars on dates to be determined for October 2025, December 2025, and January 2026.  

Fee: $50 per participant 

School team requirements (up to 6 members): 

• At least one general education teacher and one special education teacher teaching the same grade level 

• One instructional coach, specialist, or teacher leader 

• One administrator 

• Two additional teammates can be a general education teacher, special education teacher, instructional coach, and/or administrator. 

Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants are due by July 1, 2025. Applicants will be notified about the result of their application on or before July 8, 2025 

Apply for the Teaching Partnerships Learning Series 

About Suzi Mast 

Suzi Mast is a proud Arizona-certified teacher and administrator with over 30 years of experience.  Suzi retired from the Arizona Department of Education, where she was the Director of K-12 Mathematics and Educational Technology for over nine years. Suzi has also been a middle school and high school teacher in Arizona, worked in the private sector in educational technology, and was an administrator for a K-8 district, leading math and science curriculum, instruction, and assessment.  Suzi specializes in Formative Assessment, MTSS, and academic collaboration in math with a focus on access for all students.  Her current passion is early elementary mathematics. Suzi is the Past President of the Arizona Association of Teachers of Mathematics (AATM) and is the current Vice President of the Central Region for the Arizona Math Leaders (AML).  Suzi is also a member of the Arizona Mathematics Collaborative, which is focused on supporting and creating mathematics pathways from high school to higher education. Suzi is thrilled to be back in the classroom this year, coaching grades K-9 teachers and providing professional development in mathematics content and pedagogy at the state, district, and site levels.   

If you have questions about the professional learning series, please email the Academic Achievement & Inclusive Practices Inbox.