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 2025 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 23rd if the State budget has not passed and does not appear likely to pass the following week. It may be necessary to revise budgets in early FY 2025 to incorporate changes in State law. 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. 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 23rd, 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 2025.

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

Thank you!

The ADE/ESS Special Education Program Approval System for the 2024–2025 school year opens on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. ESS plans to have all Private Special Education Schools, Emotional Disabilities-Public (ED-P) programs, and Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs) that wish to operate for the fiscal year 2025 reviewed and approved by June 15, 2024. Failure to apply may cause integrity failures for public education agencies (PEAs), affecting state payments. Please see the attached memo.

For more information on completing the application, please refer to the Private Special Education Schools and Emotional Disabilities- Public (ED-P) instruction manuals.

If you have questions regarding Private SPED Schools or ED-Ps, please email the Private Day and ED-P inbox. If you have any questions regarding RTCs, please email the Vouchers inbox.

FY25 Special Education Program Approvals

The ADE/ESS/Academic Achievement and Inclusive Practices team is excited to announce a free, virtual, professional learning opportunity for educators and administrators: “Sparking Curiosity with Problem-Solving: Raising Student Voice.” Come learn about a professional learning series for the 2024–2025 school year that offers in-person training and on-site coaching. This presentation is designed for general and special education teachers and administrators.

“Sparking Curiosity with Problem-Solving: Raising Student Voice”

Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Time: 9:00−11:00 a.m.

Fee: Free

Register for Sparking Curiosity with Problem-Solving: Raising Student Voice

About Cecilio Dimas

Cecilio Dimas is the 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.

Workshop 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. Mr. 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. During this session, we will also provide you with information about an exciting professional learning and coaching opportunity.

If you have any questions about the training, please email Rob Hilliker.

Pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 618, Public Education Agencies (PEAs), including secure care facilities, must report exit and discipline information for students with disabilities in addition to SPED participation. 

The Arizona Department of Education requires PEAs to submit this data through Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS). Specifically, PEAs must submit:

• Exit data for students with disabilities who are ages 14–21
  • Students who were in special education at the start of the reporting period and were not in special education at the end of the reporting period
• Discipline data for incidents that resulted in the removal of the student with a disability from their regular educational environment into AzEDS through their Student Information System (SIS). For SIS information, please refer to the attached memo. 

Applicable roles for AzEDS and the SEDD application must be requested from your local ADEConnect Entity Administrator:

• AzEDS Data Coordinator: Base Reports
• AzEDS Data Coordinator: Discipline Reports
• AzEDS Data Coordinator: SPED Reports
• ESS Discipline Data: Edit
• SEDD LEA User
• SEDD LEA Signer 

The exit and discipline data reported in AzEDS for federal reporting purposes is displayed in the Special Education Data Dashboard (SEDD) for PEA review and certification. Please see the Important Dates for the SEDD timeline. Additionally, the SEDD Manual contains guidance on how to review and certify your federally reported SPED data. Note that this manual is for all PEAs and includes discipline definitions outlined specifically for secure care facilities. 

Please direct questions to the ESS Data Management Inbox. 

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that registration for the 2024 Special Education New Director Symposium (SENDS) is now open! The purpose of this professional learning opportunity is to prepare new special education directors for the practical operation of a special education system. Topics covered in SENDS include compliance and legal requirements, fiscal issues, assessment, general supervision, and ADE supports and resources. New special education directors serving Arizona public education agencies in their first or second year of being a special education director (including any previous positions) in the fall of 2024 are eligible to attend SENDS.

The $150 registration fee for SENDS includes:

• Registration for the in-person kick-off session on Day 1 (September 4, 2024) of the IDEA Conference* (with an option to pay to attend Days 2 and/or 3 of the conference).
• Four virtual follow-up sessions scheduled throughout the 2024–25 school year  (November 7, December 5, January 16, and February 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.).
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and CEC’s Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) special interest division.

Registration is open until July 19, 2024.

*Information regarding travel reimbursement from eligible PEAs will be provided once registration is completed.

Register for the Special Education New Director Symposium (SENDS) training!

If you have questions about SENDS, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

The Lead OT/PT Community of Practice is conducting a survey about the prevalence and roles of Adapted Physical Education (APE) teachers in Arizona. Their intent is to use the information to increase collaboration among these professions and to allow the Lead OT/PT group and APE teachers to share information about relevant practices, professional learning, and resources. ADE/ESS is not affiliated with the survey but supports their goal of increased collaboration. 

Please complete the survey even if you do not currently provide APE services; once you select "no," you will not answer any additional questions. 

The window for districts to submit transportation Vehicle Inventory data is open until July 15, 2024.
The FY2025 calculation of TSL is dependent on Vehicle Inventory data. Reports will generate at https://schoolfinancereports.azed.gov/ after data has been entered and saved. Failure to enter and save both Route and Inventory data may cause unexpected funding changes. Charters are not required to submit transportation data.
The following resources have been created to assist in submitting transportation data:

• Transportation Data Submission Video
• Transportation Manual
• Transportation FAQ

Please review the resources prior to submitting your transportation data. If additional assistance is needed, please submit a HelpDesk ticket.

Join ADE and Empowerment Research for a free virtual summer conference series, June 17-20, 2024, from 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  

Topics include: (participants choose and join what best meets their needs)  

1. Interruptions in Neurodevelopment: The focus is on the developmental stages and interruptions based on cognitive and emotional functioning, the long-term impacts of the pandemic, and mitigation strategies. Topics will include screening protocols, assessment tools, and school- and family-based interventions founded on neurodevelopmental ages/stages.
2. Challenges with Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) and Neglect: The focus is on the current epidemiology of abuse and neglect, the immediate and latent effects of AHT and neglect, and options for early and later interventions to address ongoing concerns.

Warning: Because of the survivors' diffuse injuries and complicated nature, graphic content is involved in this professional development session.

3. “Play” – Developing Early Neuronets for Executive Functions: The focus is on “where is the child developmentally?” The session will address capacity, capability, and interests as we look toward setting realistic expectations for children's cognitive function and social development. Topics will include “quality” that should be evident in the classroom materials and the partnership to help parents create a stimulating home learning environment. We will dig deep into the sandbox of “play is work,” sharing examples of intentionally addressing executive functions and supporting children's executive function challenges in developmentally appropriate ways.
4. Returning to Learning after Concussion (mTBI): This session updates professionals on neuroscientific approaches to intervening with a client who has experienced a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI = Concussion). The content will address types of mild brain injuries, common causes, and outcomes based on the latest Amsterdam protocol. Learn how to return students to the learning environment after a concussion successfully. A real-life scenario of teenage mTBI and the direct effects of a multi-disciplinary medical support team will be shared, including coordinated school-based strategies that aided in a successful transition and a future collegiate life.

Register through APLDor register via Zoom.

If you have questions, Christy Hegebush

Please see the following updates for Approved Private Special Education Schools in FY 25.

• The Certification Matrix for Approved Private Special Education Schools has been revised to align with requirements set forth by the Certifications Unit. Please refer to this memo regarding moderate/severe certification.
• The Approved Private Special Education School Criteria is available for review. This document will be used to provide feedback and to ensure that requirements are being met during site visits.
• Quarterly renewals were temporarily halted in FY24 but are set to resume in FY25. More information will be shared regarding this new process near the beginning of the school year.
• We are enhancing the application. A notification and an updated instruction manual will be sent when the FY25 application opens.

Please review the revised documents in this alert. They can also be found on the Private Special Education Schools web page. If you have any questions, please email the ESS Private Day and ED-P inbox.

For immediate release: April 29, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne cites ASU, UArizona response to protests as template for K-12 schools

Urges K-12 schools to be vigilant

PHOENIX – State schools superintendent Tom Horne is praising University of Arizona president Robert Robbins and Arizona State University president Michael Crow for their handling of student protests and says K-12 schools that may be confronted with similar unrest should follow those universities’ model.

Horne stated, “Robert Robbins and Michael Crow deserve exceptional praise for standing up to antisemitism on their campuses. This stands in stark contrast to how many colleges, universities and ideological faculty members have kowtowed to disruptive pro-Hamas demonstrations. It is also an excellent template for K-12 schools in Arizona to follow should any attempt be made by students to copy the type of protests that have shut down portions of college campuses and caused Jewish students to feel unsafe.”

He added, “We already saw some examples of antisemitic behavior at some high school club events shortly after the October 7 attack on Israel where students and faculty piled on to attack the victims of October 7. Therefore, I urge schools to ensure students are using valuable classroom time for academic instruction and not for protests that can promote a climate of fear or intimidation.”

Horne notes Jewish students at Columbia University report having rocks thrown at them, and a Jewish student at Yale was stabbed in the eye with a pole holding a Palestinian flag.

Horne stated, “Our DNA is no different from the DNA of Germans in the 1930s, and Nazis started with young thugs attacking people on the street. We need to be vigilant.”

He concluded, “President Robbins wrote an eloquent letter in which he encourages students ‘to embrace your First Amendment rights and make your voices heard, but please do so peacefully, safely, and civilly.’ His words were bizarrely described as ‘inflammatory’ by leaders of the planned protest. Notwithstanding that kind of response, a protest this past weekend was peaceful. ASU experienced more disturbing behavior that required multiple arrests, but President Crow’s decisive action made sure that calm was restored. Their courage and conviction in the face of potentially disruptive protestors should be applauded and emulated.”

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