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We Won’t Let Them Win!
[bit.ly/March2EdReport] View and share a URL to this email with 3 friends [[link removed]] [bit.ly/March2EdReport] ! [bit.ly/March2EdReport]
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On Monday, the US Senate confirmed Linda McMahon [[link removed]] as Trump’s Secretary of Education on a party-line vote (51-45). A billionaire ex-wrestling CEO, McMahon was widely derided by education advocates as unqualified, considering her lack of experience in education policy or the classroom.
Wasting no time, McMahon sent a message [[link removed]] to US Dept. of Education employees that day, laying out what she called the “final mission” for the department [[link removed]] as Trump threatens to dismantle it.
[[link removed]] An anonymous employee said, “This is a power grab. The message is clear that they want to privatize public dollars on the backs of our nation’s most vulnerable children. We know poor children and children with disabilities will suffer with the plans McMahon has laid out. Private schools will leave our students with disabilities out. Poor kids will receive less money to compete on a level playing field.”
Not a King: This comes as Trump is reportedly finalizing plans to issue an executive order to eliminate [[link removed]] the department and eliminate or reorganize its functions and programs, threatening tens of billions in federal K-12 funding primarily schools in lower income communities and students with disabilities. It’s important to remember that shutting down the department would require an act of Congress, as would reallocating the funding distributed by the Dept. of Ed — and any efforts to unilaterally do so will certainly be litigated.
🚨 SOSAZ shares what’s at risk for AZ students if the US Dept of Education is dismantled [[link removed]] : “Due to chronic underfunding by the state Legislature, Arizona schools rely on federal funds to provide critical services to our students, including meals, tutoring, preschool, and key supports for low-income, disabled and rural students. Arizona receives one of the highest portions of federal funding in the US — meaning we also have the most to lose."
👀 Arizona could lose $957,000,000 a year in Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and other grants. [[link removed]] This is approximately $375,000 per school if averaged, meaning it would trigger massive cuts, layoffs, and closures.
📣 We’re Not Gonna Take It: This week, SOSAZ and organizations from across Arizona held an incredible rally at the Capitol to demand that MAGA politicians from the AZ State Capitol all the way to DC stop attacking our kids and our schools. Hundreds attended and marched in solidarity — thank you to all of our inspiring speakers and amazing partner orgs! [[link removed]]
Don’t forget to post your pics from the rally and tag us — and stay tuned for next steps as we protest this MAGA billionaire takeover of our treasured public schools. We won’t let them win — and we won’t let them hurt our kids.
K-12 Roundup
🤠 All the news you need to know from this week in one quick read:
🙏 'There’s still hope': Community backlash prompts Phoenix Elementary school board to delay school closure vote [[link removed]] of two schools, Dunbar and Heard. Parents and community members testified against the closures, explaining the history and importance of these campuses and asking for more transparency from the board and superintendent. Arizona public school districts are struggling due to massive underfunding and the state’s $1 billion voucher program. Thank you to everyone who spoke up!!!
👏 Hobbs Sounds the Alarm on Vouchers: Gov. Hobbs issued a report that there’s been a “dramatic spike” in spending on Arizona’s ESA voucher program [[link removed]] and that the updated state budget now includes nearly $50 million in unbudgeted spending for the upcoming fiscal year 🚨 Hobbs’ office says the program is projected to hit $1 billion in taxpayer spending: “While [Republicans] fight to protect the right of the 1% to spend taxpayer dollars on luxury car driving lessons, ski resort passes, and grand pianos, they’re refusing to fund life-saving programs that support the health and independence of the more than 50,000 Arizonans who rely on the Division of Developmental Disabilities.”
👀 Charter Board Votes to Close Primavera: The Arizona Charter Board voted Tuesday to signal its intent to shut down Primavera Online Schools [[link removed]] . The vote comes after reports that the school’s CEO, Damien Creamer, raked in millions of dollars as the school failed to meet state standards for years. How long will it take them to convert to a private school to rake in ESA voucher cash? 💸
😡 Trump Defunds AZ Teaching Program: The Trump administration has stripped 3 Arizona school districts (Osborn, Avondale, and Gadsden) of millions of dollars [[link removed]] in federal funding that was meant to support teacher recruitment and retention. The US Department of Education pulled the funding in a move tied to the Trump administration’s order to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies from schools. According to Osborn Board member Ed Hermes, “This has nothing to do with DEI. It has to do with a grant that we received, a competitive grant because the US Dept. of Education saw that we needed this funding. We don't get funded enough here in Arizona for our public education. So we needed, and we've been relying on, this grant to fill those gaps."
Put the “Act” in ACTION
Here are some quick but critical actions you can take to support public education and stand up against the MAGA attacks on students, educators and public schools.
Tell Congress to Protect Public Ed: [link removed] [[link removed]]
Contact your US Senators & Representatives to urge them to protect the US Department of Education and the MILLIONS of vulnerable students who rely on the protections and funding it provides.
📧 EMAIL: Use our one-click email tool: bit.ly/SaveUSEdDept [[link removed]]
☎️ CALL: Use this easy click-through calling tool: bit.ly/SaveDeptEd [[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:
👎 NO on SB1091 • 👎 NO on SB1133
👎 NO on SB1164 • 👎 NO on SB1255
👎 NO on SB1269 • 👎 NO on SB1331
👎 NO on SB1441 • 👎 NO on SB1443
👎 NO on SB1625 • 👎 NO on HB2008
👎 NO on HB2018 • 👎 NO on HB2081
👎 NO on HB2113 • 👎 NO on HB2601
👎 NO on HB2814 • 👎 NO on HB2920
👎 NO on HCR2015 • 👎 NO on HCR2042
SB1091 , sponsored by Jake Hoffman (R-14), would require that ballots in school district bond and budget override continuation elections state how much voters' taxes would drop if they refused to pass the continuations. This would force blatant propaganda onto our ballots that is designed to discourage voters from supporting overrides in the name of "transparency." Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
SB1133 , sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would require the State Board of Education to mandate schools teach the history of communism and domestic communist movements in high school social studies. State lawmakers shouldn’t be mandating curriculum; that’s the job of educators who are trained in curriculum development. Part of a national push to force right-wing curriculum into schools [[link removed]] . Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
SB1164 [[link removed]] , sponsored by Warren Petersen (R-14), would force public schools in Arizona to open their doors to ICE agents. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1982 [[link removed]] that all children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a free public education. Some Arizona districts are instituting “safe zone” policies to protect their students, stating that no individual or organization that would create an educational disruption is allowed on school grounds. This bill would override those local policies. The bill appropriates unspecified amounts from the state general fund — in other words, blank checks — to county sheriffs' offices and the state Department of Corrections to administer the legislation. Scheduled for House Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
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 Tom Horne’s 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). Held in House Education Committee 3/4 because no one present could answer Fink's question as to the meaning of "data regarding the school climate" (page 2 line 32). Once again scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
SB1269 [[link removed]] , sponsored by Wendy Rogers (R-7), would let district and charter school boards allow religious chaplains into schools to provide support, services or programs to students. The bill does not specify what the chaplains' roles would include, set any training or certification requirements, or require that students from a range of faith traditions or identities be accommodated. Most credentialed chaplains are not qualified to address the needs [[link removed]] of students and cannot replace trained school counselors [[link removed]] or other student support staff. The ACLU, which opposes such proposals across other states, says, “Chaplains may provide inappropriate responses or interventions that could gravely harm students, including those experiencing mental health crises, LGBTQ students, and other vulnerable individuals. When a student seeks mental health care at school, that care should be provided by a qualified professional.” Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
SB1331 [[link removed]] , sponsored by JD Mesnard (R-13), would eliminate capital gains taxes (or wealth taxes) beginning in 2026. The bill's fiscal note [[link removed]] says this would cost the state General Fund $40-60 million a year, primarily to give tax breaks to the rich while further limiting Arizona’s ability to properly fund our public schools and services. Our budget is one of the smallest per capita in the US, and our schools are funded at 49th in the country [[link removed]] . Scheduled for House Ways & Means Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1441 , sponsored by Carine Werner (R-4), would make school board elections partisan, a move being pushed by national extremist organizations [[link removed]] . Local school boards are our most democratic institutions, and should stay above party politics. Making school boards partisan turns districts and schools into just another venue [[link removed]] for extremist conflict. This idea failed in committee [[link removed]] in 2022 and was vetoed last year [[link removed]] . Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
SB1443 , sponsored by Carine Werner (R-4), gives parents the explicit legal right to make mental health care decisions for their minor child, and creates a mandatory minimum $2,500 judgment against "governmental entities or officials" (such as schools and teachers) who violate that "right." This would put at risk every public school teacher and school counselor who supports the mental health of a minor student with unsupportive or even abusive parents. Scheduled for House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
SB1625 , sponsored by Carine Werner (R-4), would expand the Arizona School Spending Portal [[link removed]] to force district and charter schools to report each general ledger entry, including revenues, or expenditures and disbursements. This is bureaucratic red tape that would snarl schools in time-consuming overreporting, not to mention a massive government overreach. Meanwhile, Arizona's ESA voucher program has no such transparency [[link removed]] . Scheduled for House Education Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
HB2008 , sponsored by John Gillette (R-30), would hinder citizen’s initiatives by requiring notaries to hold fingerprint clearance cards and provide their thumbprint with each notarization. Passed the full house 55-3 (only no votes Chaplik Weninger Willoughby). Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. 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 Appropriations Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
HB2081 [[link removed]] , sponsored by Gail Griffin (R-19), would exempt tips from Arizona income tax. The bill’s fiscal note estimates [[link removed]] the move would cut the state's general fund by $31 million per year. State revenues are already stretched thin [[link removed]] and will be forced to absorb huge cost shifts as the federal government cuts programs [[link removed]] . Arizona's tax expenditures have increased dramatically from $12 billion per year in 2017 to $29 billion per year in 2024. As the current federal administration pushes for a similar and massively expensive change, critics warn [[link removed]] that exempting tips from taxation could create loopholes that may lead to wage restructuring, potentially benefiting employers rather than employees. Scheduled for Senate Appropriations Committee, Tuesday. 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 (was held 3/5). OPPOSE.
HB2601 , sponsored by Nick Kupper (R-25), would exempt individuals under the age of 18 from state income tax if their Arizona gross income is less than $50,000, regardless of income source or nature, beginning in 2026. Minors rely on public transportation, roads, schools, and other services in order to join the workforce and should support these public goods like everyone else. The fiscal note [[link removed]] estimates the move would cost the General Fund $8 million per year; it also notes that the estimate is "uncertain," likely lowballed. Scheduled for Senate Finance Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HB2814 and HCR2015 , sponsored by Lisa Fink (R-27), would ask voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to let the legislature direct federal funding however they wish if Trump dissolves the Department of Education [[link removed]] and turns the money into block grants to states for them to spend as they please, with no strings attached. This could allow the state to redistribute Title I and IDEA funds to private school vouchers with no strings attached. As a ballot referral, HCR2015 would circumvent the governor's veto. Both are scheduled for Senate Appropriations Committee, Tuesday. OPPOSE.
HB2920 , sponsored by Justin Olson (R-10), would require county treasurers to include school district property tax rates on bills and statements. This and other bills introduced by Olson go out of their way to point out the costs that fall to counties and localities when the state — namely the legislature — fails to adequately fund public schools. Scheduled for Senate Finance Committee, Monday. OPPOSE.
HCR2042 , sponsored by Steve Montenegro (R-29), would ask voters to enshrine racism in the state Constitution. This culture-war-driven measure would prevent the state from giving BIPOC-owned businesses any preference in state contracts, keep school districts from specifically hiring black or brown teachers in an effort to increase representation, block teachers from discussing inclusion and equity issues that have arisen despite the 14th Amendment, and ban certain content from being taught in schools. This would negatively impact student learning, as well as teacher retention and recruitment. The legislature would be allowed to also "prescribe related practices or concepts" to ban. Scheduled for Senate Government Committee, Wednesday. OPPOSE.
✅ 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]] [[link removed]] . [[link removed]]
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Email Gov. Hobbs & your lawmakers to urge them to do their constitutional duty and invest in Arizona’s public schools! Our easy-to-use, one-click email tool [[link removed]] is preloaded with SOSAZ’s legislative priorities, but we also encourage you to customize your email for maximum impact. [link removed] [[link removed]]
CLICK HERE TO SEND AN EMAIL NOW! [[link removed]]
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
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