The FY 2024 K-3 Reading Budget and FY 2023 K-3 Reading AFR zip files have been posted to the LEA Budget Resources page of the School Finance website.

Integrity rule -10023 has been updated to align with ARS§15-902(A) which defines the allowable age for students to be assigned ungraded (grade UE) as children with disabilities who are at least five years old, but under six years of age by September 1.

School Finance is aware that there are still some lingering questions regarding the transition for Type 03 High School Students for the 2023-2024 School Year. School Finance has compiled a list of answers to frequently asked questions that can be found here.

PHOENIX – Recent questions raised about school policies for the usage of restrooms, locker rooms and shower areas has state schools chief Tom Horne responding to concerns he has received from parents and other interested citizens statewide.

This month’s Special Education Director Check-In topic will address an upcoming flexibility regarding preschool disability data reporting. It will briefly discuss deployment dates, timelines, and implementation for this current school year. The main presentation will be an ESS Fiscal Update for federal grants. Please extend this invitation to your Business Managers, as ESS will present updates for the Fiscal Year 2024 IDEA funding applications, review available High-Cost Child funding opportunities for Fiscal Year 2024, and provide an overview of the upcoming GM Completion Report season. The ARP-IDEA funding cycle ends on September 30, and ESS Program Management wants to ensure that PEAs maximize their funding opportunities in the grant. Finally, we will cover where to find Maintenance of Effort Compliance standards to ensure that PEAs accurately report state-level expenditures on the 2023 Annual Financial Reports.

Payment 3 - Data Capture Reminder - 8/15/23

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has responded to a warning sent last week to his office by the Arizona Attorney General regarding the enforcement of the state’s voter-approved English language instruction model. Horne says the warning amounts to a threat and ignores the will of Arizona voters when they passed the voter-protected Proposition 203 in 2000.

TUCSON – The Arizona Department of Education has restored in-person teacher certification assistance at the department’s downtown Tucson office, making it available there for the first time since 2019.

PHOENIX – Arizona schools chief Tom Horne says an independent analysis of how much the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program will cost shows the dire predictions made by Governor Hobbs and other opponents of the program are incorrect.

The FY2024 AZ Course Catalog has a change in the SEI courses where they no longer reference the time in an ELD Block. Please use only AZ01078 for grades 9-12 and AZ51060 for grades K-8. All other codes that have been used will need to be deleted or updated to reflect one of the two course codes for FY2024 as shown in the following table. The FY2024 AZ Course Catalog may be found here.