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Stand UP for Public Schools!
View and share a URL to this email with 3 friends! [bit.ly/February23EdReport]
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It’s all so much right now. We feel you. The assault on democracy and public education is dizzying, exhausting, and downright terrifying. So, we thought we’d round up important things going on in K-12 education, and put them succinctly here ( with links to take action ), so you can keep track and know you’re not missing anything — and can make a difference. [[link removed]]
Before you get into the news, it’s national Public Schools Week this week, and our tagline is “Stand Up for Public Schools.” We will have daily actions for you to effect change across social media, so stay engaged all week 📣 First, change your profile picture [[link removed]] (click here [[link removed]] , see our explainer here [[link removed]] ) and follow us on social media for tips to be engaged all week! 🎉🏫
Now, for a round-up on this week’s K-12 News:
K-12 at the Federal Level
* Voucher-Pusher for Ed Sec: On Thursday, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon advanced out of committee [[link removed]] — the full Senate vote is the next and final step. McMahon helped found the far-right America First Policy Institute [[link removed]] , which has advocated for the broad expansion of voucher programs and the dismantling of… the Dept. of Ed. Use your voice to urge your Senator to vote NO: ☎️ CALL [[link removed]] or 📧 EMAIL [[link removed]]
* Attacks on DEI: Last Friday, the Office of Civil Rights in the US Dept. of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” letter (which is non-binding and does not change the law) regarding the Trump administration’s intent to use OCR to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in America’s public schools. Stay tuned — lawsuits are sure to come. 👍⚖️ Last we checked, diversity is what makes America great, and we sure could use a LOT more equity and inclusion everywhere, including in our schools!
* Firing the People Who Protect Vulnerable Kids? This week, the Trump administration fired all or nearly all probationary employees at the Dept. of Ed, as well as other child serving agencies like the Administration for Children and Families. Dept. of Ed employees are bracing for more cuts and Trump’s threatened shutdown [[link removed]] of the Dept: “ All of our programs are centered on equity and underserved populations, helping to bridge the gap. Federal education funding is a small fraction of education funding overall, but it’s designed to level the field, so it’s primarily targeted toward urban, rural, Title I schools, and special education. There’s a lot of fear.” 😞
💥 ACT NOW: Tell your US Senators & Representatives to stand up for public education! Urge them to protect the U.S. Department of Education and the millions of vulnerable students it serves. Send your message in minutes with our one-click email tool: bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept [[link removed]] bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept [bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept]
Local Public Schools in the News
* School closures hit another Phoenix district: As Arizona’s public schools face chronic underfunding and the devastating impacts of vouchers, some districts are making the decision to shut down schools — but Phoenix Elementary parents are pushing back [[link removed]] , explaining how much school closures would hurt their community [[link removed]] . If you’re in Phoenix, use this quick email tool to speak up for Phoenix El and to demand a transparent, community-driven process 📧▶️ bit.ly/SavePhxSchools [[link removed]]
* Maricopa County’s New MAGA Superintendent: Shelli Boggs, the new Maricopa County Superintendent, has aligned herself with Kari Lake and Trump, and was supported by MAGA extremist group Turning Point USA. Sadly, she’ll be in charge of appointing all replacements to any vacancies [[link removed]] on Maricopa school boards for the next four years. As SOSAZ Director Beth Lewis said, “When those decisions are made by someone who doesn’t support public education, it’s very dangerous. We’ve seen what’s happened in those school boards with anti-public education school board members — it leads to chaos… I think it’s fair to say that a baseline qualification for school board [candidates] is supporting public schools.”
K-12 News in the Arizona Legislature
The Arizona Legislature has the most extreme majority in decades, which is apparent in the bills they're choosing to pass. This week, mostly along party lines, lawmakers advanced these harmful bills:
😡 SB1002 [[link removed]] (Kavanagh, R-3), to ban teachers from using a student’s chosen pronouns without written parental permission
😡 SB1255 (Bolick, R-2), to require public schools to post information on students’ race, color, national origin, sex, disability and age meant for the federal Office of Civil Rights [[link removed]] , and to complete a survey on bullying, fighting, harassment and other school safety issues — an excessive overreach even as bills to expand these and other protections to kids at ESA voucher-funded schools are going unheard
😡 SB1269 [[link removed]] (Rogers, R-7), letting district and charter school boards allow volunteer school chaplains into schools without defined roles, any training or certification requirements, or inclusion of a range of faith traditions
😡 SB1243 (Kavanagh, R-3), to require school boards to put their "open call to the public" at the beginning of the meeting before any other official business, making meetings less accessible for the public
These bills will now move to the House, where they await committee assignment and take their place in line to presumably meet Gov. Hobbs' veto stamp.
😬 Prop 123 Updates: The Gress/Mesnard version of a Prop 123 renewal [[link removed]] , which would dedicate pay-for-performance funding to certain classroom teachers only, advanced through education committees [[link removed]] in both chambers this past week despite significant misgivings from education and business groups, including SOSAZ. These groups have been working behind the scenes to express concerns [[link removed]] on the workability of a proposal designed to tie school administrators' hands by dedicating the funds so narrowly and leaving out the support staff that makes schools run. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also expressed considerable reluctance; it is likely that the measure as currently written does not have the votes to pass.
🙅‍♀️ Veto Queen: As she promised, Gov. Hobbs vetoed HB2703 [[link removed]] , which would have restricted early voting and forced principals to allow schools to be used as polling places. Undeterred, and despite polls [[link removed]] showing overwhelming opposition [[link removed]] , Republican lawmakers are advancing the same measure as a referral [[link removed]] to circumvent the governor's veto and appear on our November 2026 ballots.
🤢 And speaking of our 2026 ballots: this coming week alone, lawmakers are advancing TWENTY separate ballot referrals (HCRs and SCRs) — mostly along partisan lines with Republicans only in support — through the House and Senate Rules committees. For perspective, the November 2024 ballot had eleven measures (the most in years) which were placed on the ballot over two separate legislative sessions and led to a 4-page ballot.
Full Weekly Education Report HERE [bit.ly/February23EdReport]
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Bills in Committee
This week, all committees except Appropriations and Rules will pause while lawmakers slog through packed floor calendars to advance bills to the opposite chamber for consideration in committees there.
✅ The SOSAZ 2025 Bill Tracker [[link removed]] contains full information about all bills SOSAZ supports or opposes in 2025 and gives you up-to-the-minute information on where these bills stand.
Need an RTS account? Sign up here. [[link removed]] Want a refresher? Our friends at Civic Engagement Beyond Voting are hosting RTS trainings on Monday evenings at 6:30, starting this week. Sign up here! [[link removed]]
Join Us!
SOSAZ Network Book Club is THIS SUNDAY! On February 23 and March 23, we will be discussing Punishing for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal by Bettina L. Love. The discussion will be led by ASU Professors Dr. Carrie Sampson and Dr. Sharon Kirsch, and doctoral student Christina Bustos. [link removed] [[link removed]]
SIGN UP FOR BOOK CLUB DATES [[link removed]]
It’s happening!! 🎉 Join us for our 2nd annual Celebration of Arizona’s Public Schools [sosaznetwork.org/caps] gala on March 29, 2025 at the Madison Performing Arts Center! Our special guest will be Jess Piper [[link removed]] , an incredible public education advocate from Missouri and TikTok superstar. We will have delicious food and drinks, student performances, awards for incredible educators, and so much more! Tickets are on sale now for $100. Get yours before they sell out [sosaznetwork.org/caps] — and if you’re an educator or student, we welcome you to use the code EDUC8 to receive 50% off (select “unlock” to enter the code). sosaznetwork.org/caps [sosaznetwork.org/caps]
NEW: Nominate a Champion of Public Education! 🏆 Know an incredible AZ educator, staff member, or school leader? Nominate [[link removed]] them for our Champions of Public Education award today!! PURCHASE TICKETS [sosaznetwork.org/caps]
SUBMIT A NOMINATION [[link removed]]
SUPPORT OUR WORK [[link removed]]
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Contact Us
[email protected]
Save Our Schools Arizona
PO Box 28370
Tempe, AZ 85285
United States
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