Pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-185(B)(2) the student count of a charter school shall be determined initially by using an "estimated count" based on actual registration of pupils before the beginning of the school year. 

The Charter Estimated Counts application will open for data submission on 5/31/23. Additionally, the AzEDS API will be available for FY 2024 (7/1/23-6/30/24) instructional calendars and student data transactions beginning on 6/1/23. 

For Charters, the first payment of FY 2024 will be based on projected 100th day Average Daily Membership (ADM) unless Charter Estimated Counts have been submitted. If a charter has both projected ADM and Charter Estimated Counts, School Finance will use Charter Estimated Counts as the basis for the 7/24/23 payment. The deadline to submit Charter Estimated Counts is 7/1/23. 

*Charter Estimated Counts will only be considered for Payment 1 and Payment 2. Beginning Payment 3, all payments will be based on FY2024 AzEDS actual ADM data.

*Updated to provide futher clarification.

To view the full Charter Estimated Counts memo, click here. 

To view the new Charter Estimated Counts manual, click here. 

Questions regarding the submittal of Charter Estimated Counts should be submitted via HelpDesk. 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT 

FY24 Data Reporting Updates Document Now Available

ESS Data Management is pleased to announce the FY24 Data Reporting Updates document. It’s now available in the ESS Data Management Toolkit and located on the ESS Data Management website. This document outlines important changes for SPED data reporting for FY24, including AzEDS and ESS applications overseen by ESS Data Management. Most notably, the following changes are for AzEDS reporting in FY24:

• AzEDS Preschool Outcomes Reporting
• AZEDS Discipline Reporting
• AzEDS Ancillary Needs Reporting
• IsIDEAParent Reporting

Applicable SPED integrity rules and reports that validate SPED exit and LRE codes will be updated for these changes.

For any questions regarding the upcoming FY24 Data Reporting Updates, please feel free to contact [email protected]. 

Please refer to the AzEDS SPED Reporting page for current reporting guidance.

FY 2023 Results-Based Funding Payment 2 has been calculated and will distribute in May, 2023. Below is a file that will show the FY 2023 Results-Based Funding Total Amount, FY 2023 Results-Based Funding Payment 1 Amount, and FY 2023 Results-Based Funding Payment 2 Amount (Amounts being distributed in May, 2023-highlighted column). On the LEA-Level tab, Districts are listed by county, followed by charters listed alphabetically. A second tab will show the School-Level amounts. For questions regarding your payment, please contact [email protected]

FY 2023 Results-Based Funding Payment Amounts

Please see FY 2023 Results-Based Funding Payment 1 Hot Topic

Six schools applied for grants to pay for officers 

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Education will forward a recommendation to the State Board of Education that school safety grants requested by six Phoenix Union High School District schools for armed campus officers (SROs) be approved. The recommendation proceeds despite last week’s decision by the district governing board to not have law enforcement officers on district campuses.

Horne stated, “The decision of the Phoenix Union governing board against armed law enforcement officers not only goes against the recommendation of their own safety committee but is a slap to the leadership of those schools and to the classroom teachers association who called for SROs because safety is needed. In addition, an OH Predictive Insights poll shows that 79 percent of parents within Phoenix Union boundaries also support having officers for the children’s safety. The board's decision was irresponsible.

Our first responsibility is to protect the safety and the lives of students and staff. The worst tragedy would be for a maniac to invade a school and kill students with no police officer there to protect them. In addition, the police officers are there all year, befriend the students, so students view them as friends rather than as the enemy, and the police officers also teach courses.

At Phoenix Union, teachers especially wanted police officers because they do not feel safe.

As a member of a school board for 24 years, I became aware that there can be a difference between the views of the people who show up at a meeting, and of the community as a whole. Some years ago, a group of anti-police teenagers invaded the Phoenix Union School Board meeting, and the board folded and got rid of their police officers. When the Phoenix Union committee recommended that the police officers be hired back, the Department of Education commissioned the OH Predictive Insights poll that showed 79 percent of parents living within Phoenix Union’s boundaries support having a law enforcement officer on campus.

We get reports of students at Phoenix Union bringing guns and drugs to school.

The decision to ignore the wishes of some of their own principals and teachers as well as the vast majority of parents in the district, in favor of a small group that invaded the school board, that have immature views regarding the need for police protection, was an irresponsible decision.”

The schools submitting grant applications are Cesar Chavez, Maryvale, Metro Tech, North, South Mountain, and Trevor Browne high schools.

FY 2023 Prop 123 Payment 2 has been calculated and will be distributed early May 2023. This completes the full distribution of $75,000,000.00. The file linked below will show the FY 2023 Prop 123 amounts per LEA. Districts are listed first by county, followed by charters alphabetically. The yellow highlighted column is FY 2023 Prop 123 Payment 2 and the most recent distribution, but the other columns indicate the full FY 2023 Prop 123 Amount for that LEA, as well as FY 2023 Prop 123 Payment 1 for that LEA. Please direct any questions to [email protected] 

FY 2023 Prop 123 Payment Amounts

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce that registration for the 2023 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.

SENDS will be held virtually from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on September 15, October 20, November 3, and December 8. 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) are eligible to attend. Each new director will also receive a one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and CEC’s Council for Administrators of Special Education (CASE) special interest division. The cost of participation in SENDS is $50.

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

For questions about SENDS, please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox.

Registration for Teach Camp is closing soon, so be sure to register your new special education teachers for Teach Camp today! 

Teach Camp is a year-long support system that includes professional learning specifically designed for beginning special educators. The goal of Teach Camp is to increase retention of special educators by providing our newest special education teachers with the tools they need to survive and thrive during their first years in the classroom. 

Teach Camp is available to special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in the fall of 2023. Recent graduates from traditional teacher preparation programs, alternative certified teachers, and veteran general education teachers transitioning to special education are all welcome. Please note, participants must be currently employed in a school district or charter as a special education teacher, and participants must have no more than two years of special education teaching experience in total (including previous positions) to be eligible to attend Teach Camp.  

Teach Camp will launch this summer! The cost is $250 per teacher and includes: 

• 3-day summer “camp” to be held June 26–28, 2023 in Phoenix* (breakfast and lunch provided) 
• One-day follow-up session in February 2024 in Phoenix* with national speaker Carol Kosnitsky (lunch provided)  
• A copy of The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers 
• A one-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children 
• Additional valuable resources  

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

Registration for Teach Camp is open until June 5, 2023, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration must be approved by the special education director and completed by the PEA, not the special education teacher. On-site registration is not available.  

Begin the registration process for Teach Camp! 

Please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox with any questions about Teach Camp. For more information about Teach Camp, pleasevisit the ESS Teach Camp webpage. 

Both state and national trends point to an increase in the frequency and intensity of special education disputes. More than ever, all members of the IEP team would benefit from exploring additional tools and strategies for strengthening collaborative decision-making and building consensus. The ADE/ESS Dispute Resolution unit is pleased to offer a variety of professional learning opportunities, free of charge, to public education agencies (PEAs) seeking to establish or strengthen a facilitated IEP culture. Interested PEAs can submit a Facilitated IEP Training Request, and the ADE/ESS Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist will reach out to offer flexible options to meet the needs of your PEA team. Secure your preferred date(s) soon, as summer and fall calendars tend to fill quickly!  

Please visit the Facilitated IEP website to learn more about state-coordinated FIEP meetings and to access the brand-new online request form!  To receive FIEP program updates and dispute resolution tips, join the FIEP listserv. Completing the FIEP Program Survey will help ADE/ESS to improve our process and identify areas of interest for advanced training topics.

May's data capture for the June 21^st payment is 5/15/23 at 5pm. 

Please ensure data is reconciled and free of integrity errors prior to the data capture date. Review the following reports in AzEDS:

• INTEG15 – ensure data is free and clear of membership ADM Integrity errors
• STUD10 – validate all students are listed in AzEDS
• ADM15 – ensure all students expected to generate funding are indicated as fundable
• ADM20, SPED20, and EL20 – ensure ADM amounts for each ADM type 

Important Note: FY23 Calendars need to be submitted, approved, and certified for ADM and funding to be generated.

The following videos provide general information related to the data reconciliation process:

• Introduction to Data Verification Reports: https://youtu.be/ou9Jst9qnsg
• Introduction to Data Verification Reports 2: https://youtu.be/_m3uEo3OGRI
• Introduction to Integrity: https://youtu.be/PYzBAEZmiSs

 Prior payment reports can be found here: https://schoolfinancereports.azed.gov/.

 Please submit a School Finance HelpDesk ticket if data assistance is needed.

Also files public comment on proposed Title IX change

PHOENIX – Attorneys for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne have filed a motion for a change of venue in the lawsuit brought against the State of Arizona by parents of biological boys who want to play on girls’ sports teams.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson. The motion to change venue notes that since the majority of parties involved in the lawsuit are based in Maricopa County, the case should be argued at the federal courthouse in Phoenix.

Horne is the primary defendant, while Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma have filed to intervene in the case.

The lawsuit challenges Arizona’s law that prohibits biological males from participating in girls’ sports.

In a related matter, Horne has formally submitted a public comment to the U.S. Department of Education regarding a proposed a rule change to Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The proposed change would prevent schools that get federal funding from keeping transgender students from competing on sports teams not of their biological sex.

Here is the text of his comment:

“The proposed rule submitted by the U.S. Department of Education would decimate girls’ sports in public schools and is contrary to the original intent of Title IX to provide a level playing field for women and girls to participate in team sports. Leaving the decision to schools will result in those with ideological school boards permitting stronger boys to compete against girls.

The rule is also in conflict with Arizona law. Arizona Revised Statutes 15-120.02 prohibits biological males from participating in girls’ sports.

This is not an LGBT issue. When I was in the Arizona legislature, I voted for every bill to extend civil rights to LGBT people. But permitting biological boys to compete in girls’ sports is extremely unfair, and in some cases, devastating to girl competitors.

There are numerous news articles about girls who worked hard to excel in their sports, and then were devastated when they could not excel because they had to compete against biological boys, who have the advantage of male muscle mass and bone structure. If there were a sport for which male physical qualities were not an advantage, there would be no reason to divide boys from girls’ sports and they could have a mixed gender team.

Where mixed teams are not appropriate because boys have an advantage, boys’ teams need to be for biological males, and girls’ teams for biological females.

The whole reason we divide boys’ from girls’ sports is because of the male advantage in muscle mass and bone structure. Making girls compete against that is a major injustice.”

A copy of the motion to transfer is attached.

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