Arizona public schools poised to drastically cut funding for low-income students after school leaders said they were blindsided by an Arizona Department of Education decision announced earlier this month. is.
Some staff positions are now in limbo, and the district says it has begun canceling programs, including summer school.
On March 7, the Department of Education notified school leaders that it would cut reserve federal aid payments designated for low-income students by 20%. The final amount of funding will depend on how the federal government distributes these funds to states, but the preliminary payments will allow schools to make hiring and other plans.
Ministry officials said the decision to withhold 20% of funding was precautionary. Spending too much money now could mean having to take it back after federal officials finalize a spending plan.
Nevertheless, educators have condemned the decision and called for an investigation. The announcement has already forced cuts, assuming no additional funding will come.
Arredondo Elementary School Principal Alison Bruning-Hamati said, “The fact that schools continue to use these funds means that the funds needed to impact student outcomes are available early enough to make a difference.'' It means it cannot be done.”
Prior to her current role with the Tempe Elementary School District, Ms. Bruning-Hamati served as the Title I Director for the Coolidge Unified School District. Title I is a federal program that provides additional funding to schools that serve large numbers of students from low-income families.
“In schools, we try to protect children from the decisions of adults,” Bruning-Hamati said. “There's no way these cuts won't have an impact on our children.”
Tom Horn: Arizona schools may face cuts due to demographics
The federal government issues Title I funds to support schools with a high percentage of low-income families, and state departments of education disburse the funds to eligible schools.
There are other federal funds distributed through so-called “title” programs that the Arizona Department of Education plans to cut by 20%. These programs support teacher training, English language learner programs, educational technology, creating balanced educational opportunities, student health and safety, and college and career guidance programs.
President Joe Biden recently signed legislation that maintains federal funding for these programs the same as last year. Arizona Department of Education officials said while this may seem promising, there is still reason to believe cuts will be made to Arizona's public schools based on demographics compared to other states. .
Arizona's share of the nation's people living in poverty has declined by about 6.9% this year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Although a state's relative poverty is the main indicator of how federal funds are distributed across the country, the federal government also considers other factors in the formula for funding these programs. .
The Arizona Department of Education cites this reduction in poverty as the driving force behind its conservative estimates.
“We raised concerns that federal funding increases have been smaller than in recent years, and that Arizona's low-income population has declined by almost 7 percentage points,” said Tom Horn, Superintendent of Public Instruction. said in a statement to The Arizona Republic. “Both of these factors could reduce the total amount of federal funding sent to Arizona. If the actual amount is known, a smaller preliminary allocation could reduce overpayments to schools. It will definitely be avoided.”
Six states and Washington, DC, experienced greater declines in relative poverty than Arizona. Still, Georgia, where the share of the nation's poor population fell by 12.84%, and Nevada, where the share of the nation's poor population fell by 6.97%, do not expect any funding cuts, spokespersons for each state's education department said.
Representatives from the departments of education in Maine and New Hampshire, which also outpaced Arizona's decline in the national poverty rate, said it was too early to announce preliminary allocations.
“I have never heard in the last 15 years that ADE would reduce provisional allocations by 20% in a row. It's ridiculous,” Bruning-Hamati said.
In a typical year, the Ministry of Education plans a 10% cut until the federal budget is finalized, according to Bruning Hamaty and Ministry of Education officials.
This year, the ministry retained the usual 10% as the baseline and deducted an additional 7% to adjust for the decline in relative poverty. The ministry has reserved an additional 3% to provide an additional cushion, a ministry official said.
“The department is acting as the fiscal agent for these funds,” Horn said. “We will distribute these funds in full once the U.S. Department of Education determines the total amounts to states.”
Arizona schools begin cuts for 2024-25 school year
School districts are beginning to adjust their plans in response to anticipated funding shortfalls.
Bruning Hamati said Kindergarten students may be excluded from Arredondo Elementary School's reading program and transportation to before- and after-school programs may be eliminated.
The timing of the Department of Education's announcement complicates a difficult financial situation for schools. With millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief funding expected to run out this year, school districts are scrambling to cope with two deep budget cuts.
Additionally, the school is using the spring and summer to extend contract offers to staff, some of whose positions are funded through federal title program allocations. Paul Tye, executive director of Arizona School Administrators, a nonprofit organization that supports school leaders, said the financial uncertainty caused by the Department of Education's announcement will create hardship for school districts that rely on that funding. He said he was caught in the middle.
“If they issue contracts and subsidy funding is significantly reduced, there will be financial problems,” Tai said. “Delays in issuing contracts will result in the loss of many staff members to other school districts amid the current teacher and staff shortages.”
The Arizona Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, has received complaints from across the state, with members concerned that their jobs will be cut, spokeswoman Emily Kirkland said. Ta.
“It makes no sense to us at all and is very concerning,” Kirkland said.
The Washington Elementary School District is expected to incur a loss of $2.2 million, said District Trustee Kyle Clayton. He said district leaders have been visiting schools in recent weeks to plan financial adjustments.
Most of Washington Elementary's 33 schools receive title funding. One of the schools was planning to hire more staff.
“Now that it has been eliminated, the other two classrooms may have larger class sizes or less small group intervention,” Clayton said.
The Cartwright Elementary School District, which has 20 schools, has canceled its summer school program, district spokesman Victor Hugo Rodriguez said. If the 20% cut remains in place, the district stands to lose about $2 million, he said.
Rodriguez said the district planned to spend about $800,000 on summer school, budgeting as if it would receive the same title program funding as this school year. Cartwright Elementary School also uses title funds for free meals, field trips, job readiness programs and staffing.
Rodriguez said district officials are drafting a letter to U.S. representatives urging them to investigate the matter.
“It was very frustrating and we will do our best to resolve everything in a balanced way,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.”
Contact reporter nicholas.sullivan@gannett.com.