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Rally to Protect Our Kids!!!
View and share a URL to this email with 3 friends! [bit.ly/March2EdReport]
Sign up for any paid Substack subscription between March 1-15 for a chance to win 2 FREE tickets to The Celebration of Arizona's Public Schools!
We are joining forces with allies and supportive organizations across AZ to protest outrageous MAGA attacks on our students — undocumented students, LGBTQ+ students, BIPOC & Native students, disabled students — by politicians in Arizona and DC. We will be rallying THIS Wednesday, March 5th from 5-6:30pm at the Arizona State Capitol [[link removed]] on the AZ Senate Lawn to demand that politicians protect our kids, and we need as many people as possible to make signs and join us.
Together, we need to STAND UP for kids, educators, and public schools — before it’s too late .
📆 Weds, March 5, 2025 ⏰5-6:30pm 🏛️AZ State Capitol , 1700 W Washington St, Phoenix
Please register ASAP if you’re able to join: bit.ly/Rally4AZKids [[link removed]]
bit.ly/Rally4AZKids [bit.ly/Rally4AZKids]
SIGN UP HERE - THEN SHARE WITH FRIENDS [bit.ly/Rally4AZKids]
K-12 Roundup
🤠 All the news you need to know from this week in one quick read:
😡 Battle Royale: Gov. Hobbs and Republican lawmakers continue a “battle royale” over funding for childhood disabilities programs as impacted families gathered at the Capitol [[link removed]] to plead for support and a fix to the budget crisis. Hobbs pointed to vouchers as an example of a blank check: “The same legislators who rubber stamped supplemental [voucher] funding year after year, who haven’t batted an eye at the blank checks being written for pet projects, today are refusing to fund critical services for Arizona’s most vulnerable population.”
🙄 Flunk ‘Em & They’ll Show Up? Superintendent Horne floated an idea to fix student absenteeism by flunking kids [[link removed]] who miss more than 9 days a year. But when asked for clarification, Horne said, “That’s my understanding of how they used to do it” — though he couldn’t specify who “they” were, other than to say he doesn’t think it was a statewide policy, when this policy existed or why it went away. And while the policy is in line with Horne’s general nostalgic (and discredited) approach to school discipline, [[link removed]] it isn’t popular among people who understand how education and attendance actually work. It’s counter to the research, evidence and science in the field.
😲💸 Ya Don’t Say… AZ district schools are facing growing scrutiny over the false narrative that they have bloated administrative spending — but the facts are clear: Joe Dana of 12 News reports that AZ district schools spend less on admin costs [[link removed]] than nearly every state and half of what AZ charter schools spend. “Charter schools spend an average of 22% of their budgets on administration. District schools spend an average of 11%.”
☎️ Trump’s DEI Snitch Line: Trump’s US Dept. of Education has created a portal to collect evidence of “diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in K-12 schools,” quoting a Moms 4 Liberty co-founder who fear-mongered that schools are “pushing critical theory, rogue sex education and divisive ideologies.” It sure would be a shame if anyone reading this reported all of the discrimination happening in AZ's state-funded private schools 😉 enddei.ed.gov [[link removed]]
Put the “Act” in ACTION
Here are some quick actions you can take to support public education and stand up against the MAGA attacks on students, educators, and public schools.
* NO on McMahon: The Senate confirmation hearing for Trump’s unqualified nominee for US Sec. of Education, Linda McMahon, is set for Monday, March 3rd! Call Arizona’s Senators and urge them to vote NO on her confirmation before Monday. bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept [bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept]
Sen. Mark Kelly: (202) 224-2235
Sen. Ruben Gallego: (202) 224-4521
* Tell Congress to Protect Public Ed: Contact your U.S. Senators & Representatives to urge them to protect the U.S. Department of Education and the MILLIONS of vulnerable students who rely on the protections and funding it provides. Use our one-click email tool: bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept [[link removed]]
Bills in Committee
Each bill we tell you about from this point forward has passed at least one chamber, putting it that much closer to passage — and making it that much more important that you weigh in!
🛑 Use Request to Speak on the following bills:
👍 YES on SB1041 • 👎 NO on SB1255
👎 NO on HB2018 • 👎 NO on HB2022
👎 NO on HB2062 • 👎 NO on HB2113
👎 NO on HB2375 • 👎 NO on HCR2013
SB1041 , sponsored by John Kavanagh (R-3), would allow school board candidates to use Arizona’s electronic signature portal, E-Qual [[link removed]] , to gather signatures. Scheduled for House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections Committee, Wednesday. SUPPORT.
SB1255 , sponsored by Shawnna Bolick (R-2), would require each school district and individual public school to post on its website information on students’ race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age that is meant for the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights [[link removed]] . Schools would also have to complete a newly created survey from the Arizona Department of Education on bullying, fighting, harassment and other school safety issues, which ADE would post on their website. Public schools are already subject to many laws covering discrimination and bullying, making this an excessive overreach. Meanwhile, bills to expand these protections to kids at ESA voucher-funded schools are going unheard. See SB1369, 2024. Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
HB2018 [[link removed]] , sponsored by Matt Gress (R-4), blurs the lines between public and private education by allowing private and for-profit universities in Arizona to provide taxpayer-funded financial assistance to students in teacher training programs on the same terms as those at Arizona’s three state universities, and increases funding for the program by $10 million to accommodate the private, for-profit universities. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee. OPPOSE.
HB2022 [[link removed]] , sponsored by Selina Bliss (R-1), would allow K-12 public and private schools to authorize employees to carry firearms on school grounds. The school would have to notify law enforcement of how many (but not which) employees are carrying, ensure the employees have a certification from an ADE-approved list of training programs, and keep their names confidential, including from parents at the school. The bill also gives these employees immunity from any liability if they are "acting in good faith during active threat events." Arizona's Republican state lawmakers have long tried to force guns into schools [[link removed]] . Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2062 [[link removed]] , sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), is a copy of a bill vetoed last year [[link removed]] which would remove any reference to gender in Arizona law and replace it with “sex,” defined as the male or female label assigned to someone at birth based on their physical and reproductive characteristics. This narrow, inflexible and unscientific [[link removed]] definition of biological sex would eliminate any legal recognition of transgender people [[link removed]] and raise their risk of experiencing violence [[link removed]] (which is already much higher [[link removed]] than average). Last year's bill [[link removed]] was pushed by the evangelical Christian lobbyist group Center for Arizona Policy [[link removed]] . Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2113 [[link removed]] , sponsored by Nick Kupper (R-25), would ban the display of certain flags in Arizona schools, such as LGBTQ+ Pride and Black Lives Matter flags. Critics say the ban will cause BIPOC [[link removed]] and LGBTQ+ students to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in school simply for being who they are. The bill is written so broadly, it apparently bans everything from flags of favorite sports teams in locker rooms to international flags in language classrooms. The House's nonpartisan attorneys also warn the bill may violate First Amendment free speech protections. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2375 , sponsored by Pamela Carter (R-4), would require school districts to begin special education evaluations within 15 days of a parent's written request, or provide written notice of refusal, if the request is filed between May 1 and September 1 (much of which is during summer break). This requirement, which is already in State Board of Education rule, places a burden on schools which are already overwhelmed with the volume of expensive requests. Codifying these demands will pull services away from students with existing IEPs whose needs are met by the same employees who evaluate students. Passed the House 2/17 on party lines. Scheduled for Senate Education Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HCR2013 , sponsored by Alexander Kolodin (R-3), would restrict early ballot dropoffs to the Friday before Election Day, and would require early voters to reconfirm their address each election cycle. Like other elections "reforms" moving this year, the bill also forces principals [[link removed]] to allow their schools to be used as polling places, creating potential issues relating to child safety and available space. No external entity knows better for local schools than their own staff; state lawmakers should not be mandating this decision for them. As a legislative referral, this would bypass the governor’s veto to appear on our 2026 ballots. Passed the full House on party lines 2/17. Scheduled for Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
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Join Us!
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]
Time is Running Out - 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
Paid for by Save Our Schools Arizona. Not authorized by any candidate.
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