Education Archives - 探花精选 /tag/education/ Business is our Beat Thu, 12 Jan 2023 17:30:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 /wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-Icon-Full-Color-Blue-BG@2x-32x32.png Education Archives - 探花精选 /tag/education/ 32 32 GCU growth includes increased community engagement, new options for students /2023/01/12/gcu-growth-includes-increased-community-engagement-new-options-for-students/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gcu-growth-includes-increased-community-engagement-new-options-for-students /2023/01/12/gcu-growth-includes-increased-community-engagement-new-options-for-students/#respond Thu, 12 Jan 2023 17:14:01 +0000 /?p=16745 Grand Canyon University has seen eye-popping growth as the university continues to expand its campus. Amid this growth, GCU continues to focus on its efforts to be a positive force in its Phoenix neighborhood.  Between 2018 and 2022, GCU has experienced record growth, expanding the incoming class from 7,100 students to 9,700 students. Total enrollment […]

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Grand Canyon University has seen eye-popping growth as the university continues to expand its campus. Amid this growth, GCU continues to focus on its efforts to be a positive force in its Phoenix neighborhood. 

Between 2018 and 2022, GCU has experienced record , expanding the incoming class from 7,100 students to 9,700 students. Total enrollment has also grown from 20,500 in 2018 to 25,000 in 2022. This is a huge leap from the 1,000 students who were enrolled in 2008.

According to GCU Government Relations Director Dana Shaw, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a great resource for deciding which new programs to add to the nine colleges and more than 300 programs that are already being offered. 

鈥淲e have around 20 advisory boards on industry telling us what they need in their workforce and then being able to prepare students to make the jump from college into a successful career,鈥 Shaw said. 鈥淭he Chamber does an excellent job of facilitating conversations and developing relationships.鈥 

GCU President Brian Mueller attributes the growth to the university鈥檚 affordable tuition rates that have not changed in more than a decade and a campus that ranks in the top-20 nationwide.

A community asset and partner

As the campus expands, it is one of GCU鈥檚 top priorities to make the community around it safe for students and residents. The university is doing this through multiple with the City of Phoenix and other community groups as part of its five-point plan that focuses on creating jobs, improving community safety, raising home values, serving families in need, and supporting education.

To make the community safer, GCU has teamed with Phoenix PD to form a unique partnership. Through the first seven years of its 11-year, $2.2 million partnership, the community surrounding GCU has seen a nearly 20% decrease in crime, far greater than the 3.5% decrease citywide. 

Since its by the Phoenix City Council earlier this year, GCU has become actively involved in the 27th Ave. Pilot Program that aims to reverse the increasing crime and drug use rates that have been observed over the past few years in the corridor. Through the program, license plate readers and other cameras will be installed in the area. Shaw said that GCU had become involved through 鈥渁dvocacy for the program鈥 and financial contributions.

GCU has also partnered with Habitat for Humanity to renovate an entire community near GCU. Since the partnership鈥檚 creation in 2015, over $4.5 million has been raised to renovate more than 400 homes. As a result, median home prices in the area surrounding GCU have risen almost 800%.

To support families in need, GCU has partnered with CityServe to create a vast network of connections with businesses ranging from retailers to farmers. Retailers like Costco and Home Depot drop off surplus inventory to the almost 90,000-square-foot warehouse near GCU. From there, GCU and CityServe are able to provide everything from appliances to food boxes for families. In just the first year of the program, retailers dropped off more than $2 million worth of merchandise.

Meeting students鈥 needs with more options

GCU provides many ways of getting a quality education. GCU offers traditional, online, and night programs that provide flexibility to meet people where they are. With satellite campuses in Tucson and Sun City and plans to build two more campuses in the East and West Valley, there are more ways than ever to attend GCU. 

One of the most exciting developments has been the introduction of pre-apprenticeship programs that began to be offered last year. 鈥淲e鈥檙e supporting students that maybe don鈥檛 necessarily need a four year degree, but a little bit of training to get into some kind of apprenticeship or trade,鈥 Shaw said.

As part of its education initiatives, GCU has created a K-12 learning lounge. According to Shaw, the lounge supports students by providing free tutoring for kids after school and has given GCU the opportunity to create 鈥渁 scholarship program where we have been able to give out almost 650 full scholarships to students in this neighborhood.鈥
You can learn more about GCU .

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Arizona Autism Charter Schools win $1 million national Yass Prize /2022/12/22/arizona-autism-charter-schools-win-1-million-national-yass-prize/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arizona-autism-charter-schools-win-1-million-national-yass-prize /2022/12/22/arizona-autism-charter-schools-win-1-million-national-yass-prize/#respond Thu, 22 Dec 2022 18:32:12 +0000 /?p=16726 Arizona Autism Charter Schools, the only public charter schools for students with autism in Arizona and the first charter in the West dedicated to serving neuro-divergent learners, has been named America’s most innovative and effective educational organization winning the $1 million Yass Prize, education鈥檚 largest and most prestigious award. The prize recognizes Arizona Autism鈥檚 efforts […]

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Arizona Autism Charter Schools, the only public charter schools for students with autism in Arizona and the first charter in the West dedicated to serving neuro-divergent learners, has been named America’s most innovative and effective educational organization winning the $1 million, education鈥檚 largest and most prestigious award.

The prize recognizes鈥檚 efforts to expand its unique individualized learning programs, which are rated exemplary by Arizona, and supports the creation of a national accelerator for Autism-focused charter schools, which will enable similar schools to be established in every state.

鈥淲e are so honored to receive the $1 million YASS prize among many high-quality and inspirational programs from across the nation,鈥 said AZACS founder and executive director, Diana Diaz-Harrison. 鈥淭his funding will allow us to expand our reach and help more children on the autism spectrum across Arizona and the United States. As an Autism Mom, I don鈥檛 want my kid to be seen as disabled. I want him to be seen as a doer, intelligent and productive. These charter schools we are starting across America will help our children be neuro-diverse, be who they are and be fulfilled, productive citizens.鈥

The Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless Education, administered by the Center for Education Reform, is awarded to the education provider whose innovative program provides students the most effective, transformational, and lasting educational experience possible-with a clear, barrier-free path to success.

Nearly 2,700 organizations from 48 states 鈥 including public, private and charter schools, education technology companies, micro-schools, and a variety of nonprofit organizations 鈥 entered the competition for this year’s prize.

鈥淲e were thrilled to find these education changemakers and are grateful to be able to reward their extraordinary creativity, tenacity, and achievements, and to help them build for the future. We should be giving every educator in the nation the freedom the Yass Prize winners have to tailor education to the needs of children and give every parent the opportunity to choose specialized learning environments like these,鈥 said Janine Yass, who with husband Jeff founded the Yass Prize.

AZACS, which opened in 2014, is a Title 1 school, with approximately 76% of students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch and more than half of the students identifying as Hispanic. AZACS also offers a fully accredited online school serving children with autism and other special needs across the state.

Recently, AZACS launched the Post-Secondary Innovation & Entrepreneurial Career Education (PIECE) Academy. The Academy is in response to high demand for career-based programs designed to get neuro-diverse people into the workforce to fill the multitude of quality tech-based jobs that are currently open and projected to grow in the coming years.

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Nation鈥檚 Report Card: Arizona 8th grade charter students score among U.S. best /2022/12/01/nations-report-card-arizona-8th-grade-charter-students-score-among-u-s-best/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nations-report-card-arizona-8th-grade-charter-students-score-among-u-s-best /2022/12/01/nations-report-card-arizona-8th-grade-charter-students-score-among-u-s-best/#respond Thu, 01 Dec 2022 17:50:35 +0000 /?p=16696 Arizona charter-school students continue their strong academic performance, according to the Nation鈥檚 Report Card, officially known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  Arizona 8th grade charter students performed especially well. In fact, if these charter attendees were grouped together as their own state, it would rank number 1 nationally in math and number […]

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Arizona charter-school students continue their strong academic performance, according to the Nation鈥檚 Report Card, officially known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). 

Arizona 8th grade charter students performed especially well. In fact, if these charter attendees were grouped together as their own state, it would rank number 1 nationally in math and number 2 in reading. In both subject areas, Arizona 8th graders scored approximately one full grade level better than their district peers.

鈥淪tate and federal testing has repeatedly demonstrated that Arizona charter schools and students consistently outperform their district counterparts, despite receiving nearly $2,000 less in per-pupil funding,鈥 said Dr. Matthew Ladner, director of the Arizona Center for Student Opportunity. 鈥淭he past few years have been difficult for all schools, but we applaud Arizona charter schools for continuing to raise the bar for student achievement in our state.鈥 

The NAEP exam is usually administered every other year to a random sample of 4th and 8th grade students in each state, but was suspended during the pandemic. Nationally, NAEP results indicate a significant loss in academic progress during the past few years 鈥 particularly in mathematics. In Arizona, NAEP scores for 4th grade mathematics and reading declined among both district and charter students. Overall, Arizona 4th and 8th graders attending district and charter schools performed at.

鈥淎rizona charter schools helped lead our state鈥檚 academic recovery following the Great Recession,鈥 Ladner said. 鈥淭he challenges Arizona students now face are arguably even bigger now, but I am confident in the creativity, innovation and expertise of the charter sector to once again lead the way.鈥 

Arizona has approximately 560 public charter schools educating more than 230,000 students.

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Citizen鈥檚 referendum pauses school choice law, but signature count likely to fall short /2022/09/27/citizens-referendum-pauses-school-choice-law-but-signature-count-likely-to-fall-short/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=citizens-referendum-pauses-school-choice-law-but-signature-count-likely-to-fall-short /2022/09/27/citizens-referendum-pauses-school-choice-law-but-signature-count-likely-to-fall-short/#respond Tue, 27 Sep 2022 19:06:29 +0000 /?p=16563 A committee opposed to expanding school choice in Arizona on Friday claimed to have submitted enough signatures to send to voters the question of whether to overturn or uphold a law that would expand the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which allows all students to access a scholarship for private schools. By Monday, however, it appeared […]

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A committee opposed to expanding school choice in Arizona on Friday claimed to have submitted enough signatures to send to voters the question of whether to overturn or uphold a law that would expand the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which allows all students to access a scholarship for private schools. By Monday, however, it appeared unlikely enough valid signatures were secured. 

The law, House Bill 2853, was signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey in July. It allow Arizona families to use $7,000 of state education funds per student every year to pay for any approved school they choose, including private schools, parochial schools, and homeschooling. 

In Arizona, citizens have the right to legislation signed by the governor through a referendum before they are enacted into law. This must be done no later than 90 days after the Legislature that passed the bill adjourns for the year. 

HB 2853 was set to go into effect on Saturday before the signatures were submitted on Friday. 

The referendum needed 118,00 signatures to send the law back to voters. Save Our Schools, the organization supporting the referendum, said that they had more than 141,714 signatures. By Monday, however, the group had backed off the claim, acknowledging their push to limit school choice likely did not attract the support from Arizona voters they had projected. 

Under current Arizona law, only 23% of students are for an Education Scholarship Account or ESA, including students with special needs, foster families, and military families. However, HB 2853 would expand this to all 1.1 million public school students in the states.

Referendum supporters like Save Our Schools argue the bill would hurt Arizona public schools by reducing tax dollars to K-12 public schools. An earlier attempt to ESAs in 2018 was rejected by voters. 

School choice supporters insist the bill would allow families to have more education options that fit their needs and preferences.

Jenny Clark, a school-choice proponent, has said that expanding ESAs will allow Arizona families to 鈥渢ake that control back and do what’s best for our kids when they need it and how they need it.鈥 Her organization, Love Our Schools, parents navigate their education choice options, including ESAs.

If the signature-gathering effort beats expectations, the law would be placed on the ballot in 2024 for voters to decide.

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Event examines how child care challenges weigh on broader economy /2022/05/04/event-examines-how-child-care-challenges-weigh-on-broader-economy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=event-examines-how-child-care-challenges-weigh-on-broader-economy /2022/05/04/event-examines-how-child-care-challenges-weigh-on-broader-economy/#respond Wed, 04 May 2022 17:51:59 +0000 /?p=16341 A lack of access to affordable child care could prove to be a challenge for employers who want to bring workers back to the office and for the broader economy, according to a report discussed at an Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry event last week.  Aaron Merchen, the director for policies and programs at […]

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A lack of access to affordable child care could prove to be a challenge for employers who want to bring workers back to the office and for the broader economy, according to a report discussed at an Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry event last week. 

Aaron Merchen, the director for policies and programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation鈥檚 Center for Education and Workforce, discussed these findings and more from the foundation鈥檚 鈥,鈥 released in 2021 by the USCCF in partnership with the Arizona Chamber. 

According to the report, Arizona鈥檚 estimated annual loss due to child care issues is $1.77 billion. That includes $1.42 billion for the cost of employee absence and turnover costs and $348 million in estimated losses in tax revenue. 

鈥淭hese childcare breakdowns are preventing working parents from getting a promotion, finding that higher education, going to grad school,鈥 Merchen said.  

The report also revealed that employers are starting to see childcare as a bigger issue for their workforce. One in 3 employers surveyed said that a lack of childcare was 鈥渁 great deal responsible鈥 for employees’ reduced productivity. Additionally, 65% of employers surveyed said that government incentives would most motivate employers to offer more child care assistance for workers. 

The ability to be flexible and increase the workforce in the childcare industry is something that Merchen said requires additional work. 

鈥淭he most effective childcare system will not be found in one-size-fits all solution, but rather a range of offerings that focus on addressing access, affordability, and quality,鈥 he said. 

Michael Wisehart, director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, discussed the fundamental ways the economy and the relationship to work have changed as a result of the pandemic. 

鈥淥ne of the things we know, we can either have progress or we can regress, but we can鈥檛 go back to the way that it was before,鈥 Wisehart said. 

Since the onset of COVID, Congress has sought to stabilize the childcare industry with an influx of Child Care and Development Fund money. Arizona-specific programs like the essential workers scholarship program have been working in tandem with the federal programs to ensure affordable childcare for Arizonans. 

鈥淏ecause of the support, Arizona hasn鈥檛 seen a decline in the number of childcare centers,鈥 Lela Wendell, assistant director of the Arizona Child Care Administration, said. 鈥淚 think that speaks to the support that the state has given, because in other states that number has gone down dramatically.鈥 

Both Wendell and Wisehart spoke to the importance of the business community’s help in addressing challenges in child care. Whether by providing child care in the workplace, increasing partnerships at the university level for child care positions or issuing scholarships for those attempting to go back to school, the partnership between the government and the private sector is important for meeting the state鈥檚 child care needs. 

Creative thinking is needed. Few employers, for example, offer on-site daycare, reluctant to commit the time and resources necessary to ensure state licensure certification. Employers could, however, consider reserving slots in daycare providers specifically for their employees. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of things that are in the works for creating that framework,鈥 Wendell said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I think that engaging this (business) community will be super helpful.鈥

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Report finds that Arizona needs to increase postsecondary educational attainment to keep pace economically /2022/04/28/report-finds-that-ariz-needs-to-increase-postsecondary-educational-attainment-to-keep-pace-economically/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=report-finds-that-ariz-needs-to-increase-postsecondary-educational-attainment-to-keep-pace-economically /2022/04/28/report-finds-that-ariz-needs-to-increase-postsecondary-educational-attainment-to-keep-pace-economically/#respond Thu, 28 Apr 2022 17:12:50 +0000 /?p=16324 A new report finds that Arizona would reap economic benefits of nearly $5 billion in additional state and local tax revenues over 10 years simply by reaching the U.S. average for educational attainment. 聽Released last week by the business community at a Southern Arizona Leadership Council Future of Workforce Event, the聽report聽finds that future economic growth […]

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A new report finds that Arizona would reap economic benefits of nearly $5 billion in additional state and local tax revenues over 10 years simply by reaching the U.S. average for educational attainment.

聽Released last week by the business community at a Southern Arizona Leadership Council Future of Workforce Event, the聽聽finds that future economic growth depends on improving investment in workforce development and postsecondary education today.聽聽聽

Between 2020-2030, it is estimated Arizona will have an estimated 68,000 annual job openings that require at least a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Under current conditions, there will be an annual shortage of 26,300 bachelor鈥檚 degrees, leaving Arizona unprepared for a competitive workforce.  

鈥淭his vital analysis is a compelling and clear-eyed call to action for additional state investment in postsecondary education and workforce development at a time when evidence suggests Arizona is falling behind,鈥 ABOR Chair Lyndel Manson said. 鈥淚f current trends continue, fewer than 17% of today鈥檚 9th graders will have earned a university degree by 2029. During this same time period, the report estimates Arizona will annually issue 26,300 fewer bachelor鈥檚 degrees than our economy needs.鈥

Economist Jim Rounds, president of Rounds Consulting Group, which produced the report, acknowledges that the state has made significant economic progress over the past decade and is home to one of the country鈥檚 strongest economies.

But, he says, more needs to be done to ensure the state reaches its full potential.

鈥淎rizona鈥檚 future economic prospects brighten with increased educational attainment,鈥 he said. 鈥淚ncreased educational attainment also helps the state鈥檚 leaders and economic developers further elevate the state鈥檚 economic profile to businesses outside the state looking to invest here.鈥

With additional targeted investment in workforce development, including postsecondary education, Arizona will reap a sizable economic return on its investment, leading to greater economic competitiveness and growth for the state.

鈥淒espite Arizona鈥檚 recent strong economic growth, this report makes clear that our state has yet to reach its鈥痜ull potential,鈥 Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Danny Seiden said. 鈥淲e all benefit when more Arizonans are contributing to the economy. Increased educational attainment means greater opportunity and a more vibrant future for Arizonans and our state overall.鈥  

The report finds that the creation of higher-wage jobs leads to more economic stability. During the most recent recession, the number of jobs in Arizona that required less than a high school diploma declined by 21.8%. This compares to an 11.4% decline in jobs that require at least a high school diploma. Conversely, jobs that require at least a bachelor鈥檚 were stable.   

The report also finds that the fiscal impact of not improving is significant. The increase in productivity related to enhanced GSP and employment counts would generate $4 billion in new tax revenues for the state and local governments each year, far exceeding investment costs related to policy implementation.  

鈥淭his report on 鈥楢dvancing Arizona鈥檚 Economy鈥 is essential reading for every state and local policymaker, business official and education leader, and should serve as a wake-up call for Arizona to act before it鈥檚 too late,鈥 Manson said.

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State Senate passes bill to expand pathways into teaching profession /2022/03/14/state-senate-passes-bill-to-expand-pathways-into-teaching-profession/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=state-senate-passes-bill-to-expand-pathways-into-teaching-profession /2022/03/14/state-senate-passes-bill-to-expand-pathways-into-teaching-profession/#respond Mon, 14 Mar 2022 16:57:26 +0000 /?p=16230 Arizona is one step closer to offering prospective teachers a new pathway into the profession.  The state Senate last week passed SB 1159, sponsored by Sen. Rick Gray, R-Peoria, legislation that expands the ways a person can attain a teaching certificate and crucial training.  Arizona previously made reforms to the teacher certification system in 2016 […]

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Arizona is one step closer to offering prospective teachers a new pathway into the profession. 

The state Senate last week passed SB 1159, sponsored by Sen. Rick Gray, R-Peoria, legislation that expands the ways a person can attain a teaching certificate and crucial training. 

Arizona previously made reforms to the teacher certification system in 2016 and 2017 that removed some of the bureaucratic hurdles for hiring qualified teachers and expanded the accessible talent pool. The Subject Matter Expert (SME) teaching pathway has allowed more than 3,000 individuals to begin teaching in areas where they possess expertise in a subject matter. 

Currently available to those teaching grades 6-12, SB 1159 would expand the SME certification pathway to be available for those teaching grades K-12.  

鈥淎s a non-traditionally certified teacher myself, I have a firm belief that if you have the right mindset about wanting to serve children, having high expectations, and care about their wellbeing, we can train you to be a great teacher,鈥 said Matt Simon, vice president of government affairs & advocacy for Great Leaders Strong Schools, during Senate Education Committee testimony on the bill. 鈥淭his bill represents the next phase to empower local school leaders. I trust local school leaders about their hiring of talent.鈥 

The legislation also expands the Classroom-Based Preparation Program to allow individuals without a Bachelor鈥檚 degree to enter the training program and complete their training while working towards finishing their degree. The Preparation program has various stipulations, including that the individual cannot regularly instruct students unless they are in the presence of a full-time teacher, a certified teacher, an instructional coach or an instructional mentor, unless the candidate has a separate certification, such as a substitute certificate. 

This new pathway represents an approach for those to be able to gain crucial training and experience, while also completing their degree. This could include individuals already employed at the school who are looking for ways to grow in their career and need affordable and accessible pathways. 

The bill also requires the Arizona Department of Education to report on the number of certified teachers in the state and how they achieved their teaching license.  

Groups supporting this bill include Great Leaders Strong Schools, the Arizona Charter Schools Association, and Arizona Parents for Education.  

The Arizona Education Association and the Arizona School Administrators Association, which represent the interests of current school employees, are among the opponents of the legislation, but bill sponsor Gray was unpersuaded by their arguments when the bill was heard during committee.

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 allow, out of hand-wringing and fear, those people that have qualifications, those people that have a passion and the desire to educate our youth, then we are short-changing our children,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been reinforced over and over and over again how desperately we need teachers in the classroom, and this bill gives the potential for people that have that ability, it gives them the opportunity to come in and serve in an area of passion for them. The potential for good far outweighs any concern.鈥 

The bill passed the Senate 16-12 and is currently awaiting a committee hearing in the House.

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State Senate passes school transportation reform bill /2022/03/03/state-senate-passes-school-transportation-reform-bill/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=state-senate-passes-school-transportation-reform-bill /2022/03/03/state-senate-passes-school-transportation-reform-bill/#respond Thu, 03 Mar 2022 23:47:50 +0000 /?p=16206 The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill to modernize K-12 student transportation and give educational providers greater flexibility in the vehicles in their fleets. Currently, certain classes of vehicles owned by public schools are unable to be used for regularly scheduled transportation. SB 1630, sponsored by Sen. Sine Kerr, R-Buckeye, authorizes school districts, charter […]

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The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill to modernize K-12 student transportation and give educational providers greater flexibility in the vehicles in their fleets.

Currently, certain classes of vehicles owned by public schools are unable to be used for regularly scheduled transportation. SB 1630, sponsored by Sen. Sine Kerr, R-Buckeye, authorizes school districts, charter schools, and contracted private entities to use motor vehicles designed to carry fewer than 16 passengers to transport students to or from school on a regularly scheduled basis. 

鈥淎s Arizona continues to strive to be a leader in modernizing K-12 transportation, this bill allows another opportunity to expand on the modernization and flexibility that our districts need,鈥 Kerr said last month.

Under the legislation, the Department of Public Safety would be authorized to prescribe safety standards for vehicles designed to carry 11-15 passengers. Schools would be permitted to use these vehicles, currently only used for limited school-related activities, for regularly scheduled pick-up and drop-off to and from school. 

Also, the Transportation Advisory Council would be renamed the Student Transportation Advisory Council, and the council鈥檚 size would be increased from 9 to 13 members. The bill was amended to ensure one of the advisory board members would be chosen based upon their expertise in electric vehicle transportation

In an attempt to address the of school bus drivers, the bill changes the law to no longer require commercial driver licenses for those who would operate the school-owned vehicles designed to carry fewer than 16 people. 

鈥淩ight now, we have a school bus driver shortage, as people train and get the certifications necessary to drive a school bus, they are often hired off to the mines or large companies like FedEx and Amazon who pay them more,鈥 said Mathew Simon, vice president of government affairs and advocacy for , during a committee hearing on the bill. 鈥淣ot requiring a CDL for 11-15 person buses will allow more flexibility and use of vehicles.鈥

Dianna Diaz Harrison the director of Arizona Autism Charter schools, a charter focused on education for students with autism, testified in committee that 鈥淥ur student’s zip codes span all over the county and it makes it hard to launch a transportation program that can help them. We need a micro-transit system that can shuttle students to our central Phoenix and West Valley locations.鈥

Simon says his organization is focused on creating transportation options to help students and families reach the education providers that best fits their needs.

鈥淭he challenge we see is the lack of flexibility in our transportation rules,鈥 he said. 鈥淎s new vehicles and safety features come online, this will allow them to have the regulatory flexibility to amend rules rather than to have to come back to the Legislature.鈥

The bill, which passed 17-10, now heads to the House of Representatives.

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Tax watchdog group says Arizona school districts poised to raise property taxes by $100 million despite COVID relief /2021/08/12/tax-watchdog-group-says-arizona-school-districts-poised-to-raise-property-taxes-by-100-million-despite-covid-relief/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tax-watchdog-group-says-arizona-school-districts-poised-to-raise-property-taxes-by-100-million-despite-covid-relief /2021/08/12/tax-watchdog-group-says-arizona-school-districts-poised-to-raise-property-taxes-by-100-million-despite-covid-relief/#respond Thu, 12 Aug 2021 19:16:27 +0000 /?p=15879 The Arizona Tax Research Association says Arizona school districts have proposed a $98,886,980.56 increase in property taxes to fund transportation costs. This increase more than doubles state school district spending on the same item in FY2021, when $79,295,907 in property tax dollars were allocated for transportation costs. The funding formula for transportation spending by school […]

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The Arizona Tax Research Association says Arizona school districts have proposed a $98,886,980.56 increase in property taxes to fund transportation costs. This increase more than doubles state school district spending on the same item in FY2021, when $79,295,907 in property tax dollars were allocated for transportation costs.

The funding formula for transportation spending by school districts is based on route-miles driven the previous year. The sharp increase in property taxes was accomplished through the utilization of a caveat in the funding formula that allows school districts to increase their spending on transportation, denoted as Transpo Delta, in order to account for a difference between projected spending and historic spending.


Federal COVID relief spending

The coronavirus pandemic meant that 鈥淎rizona school districts used their school buses far less last school year,鈥 ATRA Senior Analyst Sean McCarthy said. This means that some increase in spending on transportation might have been inevitable as the state and the nation emerge from the pandemic, and children go back to school.

An increase in spending on transportation costs by school districts was likely inevitable, but that does not account for a massive influx of federal fiscal relief for K-12 public schools that came about in response to the pandemic. The federal government has nearly $4 billion in fiscal aid over the course of the past year towards Arizona鈥檚 K-12 education system, 90% of which is given 鈥渄irectly to school districts or charter schools.鈥

These relief funds 鈥渁re one-time monies and mostly unrestricted, meaning they can be used for any legal purpose,鈥 says McCarthy, 鈥淭he one-time decrease in formula monies for transportation is a perfect example of what federal dollars should backfill.鈥

School districts are set to adopt these property tax hikes on Monday, August 16th. ATRA is encouraging the districts to reconsider.

鈥淪addling the community with increased property taxes when schools actually saved money on these programs last year is insulting and shows a complete lack of regard for taxpayers,鈥 McCarthy said.

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ASU tops in nation for impact in achieving 鈥渁 better world鈥 /2021/06/17/asutopsustainable/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=asutopsustainable /2021/06/17/asutopsustainable/#respond Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:30:37 +0000 /?p=15778 For the second year in a row, Arizona State University in Tempe is ranked No. 1 in the nation for its impact in reaching goals set forth by U.N. countries to achieve 鈥渁 better world鈥 by 2030. The annual rankings are presented by Times Higher Education magazine and are the only global performance tables that […]

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For the second year in a row, Arizona State University in Tempe is ranked No. 1 in the nation for its impact in reaching goals set forth by U.N. countries to achieve 鈥渁 better world鈥 by 2030.

Amanda Ellis

The annual rankings are presented by magazine and are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations鈥 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

ASU鈥檚 ranking is a reflection of the institution鈥檚 鈥渋mpressive ability to rapidly innovate, replicate and scale meaningful solutions,鈥 said Amanda Ellis, director of global partnerships in the , which is helping lead the effort.

Goals include creating and scaling solutions for climate change, clean water and air, sustainable cities, poverty and hunger, gender equality and quality education. 

For the 2021 rankings, 1,117 universities from 94 countries and regions were analyzed. Calibrated indicators were measured to provide comparison across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching. 

ASU scored highest in goal of 鈥渟ustainable cities and communities鈥

ASU received its highest scores in the goal of sustainable cities and communities followed by responsible consumption and production, eradicating poverty, clean sanitation and water, and climate action.

Overall, ASU scored 95.8 out of 100 points, placing it ahead of Purdue University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

ASU ranks ninth in global rankings 

In the global rankings, ASU tied for in the world out of 1,115 institutions from more than a dozen countries, ahead of schools like King’s College London, the University of British Columbia and Western Sydney University. 

Future鈥檚 Lab, School of Global Management leading effort  

Sanjeev Khagram

Leading the effort to attain SDGs are ASU鈥檚and the . 

Sanjeev Khagram, CEO, director general and dean of Thunderbird, who led the establishment of a global network 鈥攖he 鈥 to use data to achieve the goals, said it is the largest multi stakeholder initiative of its kind. 

鈥淲e must make this the decade of delivery worldwide,鈥 Khagram said. 

Programs helping the planet 

Some of the ASU programs that are contributing to achieving sustainability goals include:

  • Global Carbon Removal Partnership Public, private and civic members of the work to influence policy and market environments to support the rapid scale-up of carbon removal actions. 
  • The Connective is a that is building a 鈥渟mart region鈥 in the greater Phoenix area with Thunderbird鈥檚 Phoenix Global Rising Initiative. This global multi-stakeholder partnership is advancing Phoenix鈥檚 goals to deploy equitable and scalable technology solutions that support sustainability and improving quality of life.
  • Decision Center for a Desert City The is focused on advancing research, education and partnerships for urban water transitions through the power of data. Complementing its work is the Kyl Center for Water Policy, which promotes research, analysis, collaboration and dialogue to build consensus on sound water stewardship for Arizona and the West.
  • Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems The provides research and education options to address the integrity of the agriculture systems and the well-being of farmers, producers and providers, and help drive policy-relevant knowledge to ensure food safety.
Peter Schlosser

鈥淥ur purpose at ASU is not only to support these goals by aligning our programs and service to local and global communities but to build upon them beyond 2030 so that we, as a global community, are shaping and creating bold ideas for a planet-positive future through opportunity, not sacrifice,鈥 said Peter Schlosser, vice president and vice provost of the Global Futures Laboratory.

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