PHOENIX – Contrary to an assertion made today by Attorney General Kris Mayes, State schools chief Tom Horne says the Department of Education alerted the Attorney General’s office to potentially fraudulent activity on the part of two of the three former Arizona Department of Education employees named in indictments handed up by the state grand jury.

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has released figures showing that more than 900 Arizona schools have declined to answer five academic focus questions related to matters such as ensuring schools do not inappropriately expose students to explicit content and avoiding instruction that promotes racial division such as Critical Race Theory.

All school districts, charter schools, secure care facilities, and the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) are required to annually administer the State Performance Plan Indicator 8 Parent Involvement Survey to parents of students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The survey will open on March 1 via ADEConnect Data Surveys.

Pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 618, Public Education Agencies (PEAs) must report discipline information.

The Exceptional Student Services Data Management team is happy to announce an upcoming October 1 Data Collection—Phase III: Non-Reconciliation training. Phase III is only for the PEAs that could not match the number of SPED students submitted in Phase I with the number of SPED students in AzEDS during Phase II. PEAs will receive an email if they qualify for Phase III on March 4, 2024.

Pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 618, Public Education Agencies (PEAs) must report discipline information. The Arizona Department of Education requires that PEAs submit student discipline information to Arizona Education Data Standards (AzEDS). Specifically, PEAs must submit discipline data that resulted in the removal of the student with a disability from their regular educational environment into AzEDS through their Student Information System (SIS).

Please review the attached memo for more information and let us know if you have any questions.

BUDG-25 reports for all school districts have been posted to the School Finance website. FY 2024 February BUDG-25 reports have been calculated using the FY 2024 February BSA-55 information.

In accordance with A.R.S. §15-905(L), the FY 2023 BUDG-75 Expenditure Analysis Letters are now published. Letters are based on the most recent FY 2023 BUDG-75 Over Expenditure reports, which have been calculated using FY 2023 BSA55 SRC information.  These letters serve as official notification of any over expenditure for FY 2023, and how Budget Balance/Over Expenditure values should be recorded on the next FY 2024 budget revision.

In pursuant to Arizona Revised Statute 15-992-F and starting with the Fiscal Year 2024 February district state-aid payment, School Finance has included adjustments on the BSA-64 report for the county equalization assistance.

The Center for Technical Assistance in Excellence for Special Education (TAESE), in partnership with ADE/ESS, is pleased to offer Saturday Mornings with the NRCP for free to all paraeducators, teachers, and administrators working in Arizona public education agencies.