Ducey proposes grant program to help get kids back on track

Arizona’s school budgets will fall by an estimated $389 million this year because of enrollment declines and an increase in virtual school attendance.

Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday proposed the state still use that money on education — but through a grant program targeted at making up learning lost in the pandemic.

Much of the $389 million loss will be made up with federal funding sent to schools this year, but it’s unclear how they will cope if enrollment losses continue to the next school year.

Ducey on Monday said in his annual State of the State address that the state would not “fund empty seats,” angering some in the education community.

The newly released budget sticks to that promise, and the philosophy that money should follow students where they go, an idea that’s contributed to an explosion of charter schools in Arizona over two decades.

This proposal is also the first not to include teacher raises in several years, on the heels of voters passing Prop. 208 and the end of Ducey’s 20% raise by 2020 promise.

It does include initiatives to bolster school choice, likely to benefit charter schools, and early literacy.

Schools Superintendent Kathy Hoffman in a statement wrote the budget proposal did not include sustained investments in public schools from the state.

“With a project $2 billion surplus in addition to the $1 billion sitting in the rainy-day fund, the governor’s budget should provide stability for schools by committing to increased, sustainable investments in Arizona’s public education system,” she wrote.

More than a dozen school districts in Arizona are flirting with financial crisis — lingering financial repercussions from the pandemic may dog them for years to come.

Schools are facing a $389 million funding decrease for two reasons:

● Enrollment statewide at public schools has fallen by an early estimate of 50,000 students. Arizona schools are funded per student, and with fewer students come fewer dollars.

● Under state law, virtual school is funded at a rate 5% less than in-person school.

The Arizona Department of Education won’t have enrollment numbers for this school year for a few months, but early estimates show that school districts have lost students while charter schools may have gained students, according to spokesperson Morgan Dick.

Big charter school networks like Legacy Traditional and American Leadership Academy have remained open for in-person classes for much of the school year, likely attracting more students.

Officials at the districts losing students, however, say costs haven’t changed with fewer students. And the cost to teach students virtually, in some cases, are higher than in-person costs because they’ve had to buy new technology and train educators to use it.

Ducey’s plan would create a $389 million grant program aimed at stemming learning losses sustained in the pandemic. The bulk of the money would go to schools to help low-income students through summer school and other intervention programs.

The budget proposal also pitched programs that would encourage families to attend schools outside of their traditional neighborhood schools.

A $10 million proposed transportation program would provide grants “to support transportation innovations and efficiencies that expand access to school choice,” according to budget documents.