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Hi John ,
It’s been a difficult week for our team, as we lost our dear friend, champion, and teammate Libby Goff. Many of you knew Libby and worked beside her, and we send our condolences. Our work connects us with some of the kindest, most generous souls on the planet, and Libby was truly the best of all of us. Please read our tribute to her [[link removed]] and know that we are sending love to all of you who are affected by her loss.
We aren’t publishing a #WeeklyEdReport this week, but here are some of the top K-12 stories and key actions you can take to advocate for public education:
😡 Trump Administration Still Withholding Billions from Public Schools: Public schools have been thrown into chaos and uncertainty after President Trump’s US Dept. of Education refused to allocate $6.2 billion for programs supporting underserved children. These congressionally approved funds were due to be released on July 1st. This week, under major public pressure, the Department released $1.3 billion [[link removed]] in funding for after-school and summer programs — however, this represents only a fraction of the funding being withheld. [link removed] [[link removed]]
The withheld funding is already causing significant negative impacts on Arizona’s public schools, which serve many low-income students, migrant students, and students learning English. These funds are critically needed for hiring teachers and ensuring quality learning supports. Arizona’s leaders must urge the Trump administration to release the remaining $4.9 billion in K-12 federal funding immediately!
🚨 PLEASE ACT NOW: Click here [[link removed]] or the image above to send your email now, and share this link with three friends so they can email too ➡️ bit.ly/ReleaseK12Funds [[link removed]] 📨
🥳 Good news, Horne loses lawsuit and AZ students win! In 2023, AZ Superintendent Tom Horne sued the state over dual language programs, arguing students learning English must be taught in only English — despite a state law passed in 2019 to the contrary. This week, the Arizona Court of Appeals weighed in, saying Horne has no legal power to force school districts to use only “English immersion’’ [[link removed]] to teach the language to students who are not proficient, the Court of Appeals says.
The judges said the State Board of Education has the authority to decide what methods of teaching English are acceptable. And that board has provided a variety of other options, against the wishes of Horne. “The superintendent has no independent policy-making authority,’’ Judge Paul McMurdie wrote. “His authority is limited to executing, under the direction of the board, the policies that have been decided on by the board.’’
Horne has already said this isn’t the end of his fight, and is weighing an appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Key K-12 stories from the week:
💸🧑‍🍳 ESA voucher families buy high-end kitchen appliances while public school raises funds for home economics classes [[link removed]]
🏛️😞 Arizona’s K-12 schools sit in the large, looming shadow of federal cuts | Arizona Capitol Times [[link removed]]
👺 Arizona schools chief says he welcomes U.S. Department of Education layoffs [[link removed]]
👏 10 GOP senators come out against latest Trump school funding cuts, saying they ‘will harm students’ [[link removed]]
Join us and make a difference!
👟 Learn how to Deep Canvass! 📋
Join our Deep Canvassing Team! Learn all about deep canvassing and how to have meaningful conversations with swing voters. Deep canvassing focuses on listening and connecting with voters to understand their concerns, questions and perspectives on public education. Our Knock & Talk Deep Canvasses are off and running! Sign up for one of our interactive virtual trainings so you can be part of this incredible team of changemakers.
Tues July 22, Thurs July 31,
Tues Aug 12 & Thurs Aug 28
5:30pm - 7:00pm
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🗳️ Voter Registration Phonebank 🗳️
Help Voters on Wednesdays all Summer! Want to help voters who are at risk of being kicked off the voter rolls? Join us for a virtual phone bank every Wednesday from 4-5:30 pm and help voters get re-registered! Training is provided — all experience levels are welcome!
Every Wednesday from 4:00-5:30pm
Virtual
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REGISTER HERE [[link removed]]
📖 Page to Power SOSAZ Book Club 💪
From Page to Power: A Justice-Focused Book Club by Save Our Schools Arizona Network! Join us virtually on Sunday, July 13 and August 10 from 3:00-4:00 pm over Zoom to discuss our next read Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad! No pressure to finish the book—come for the conversation. Let’s read, reflect, and build power for Arizona’s public schools! Sign up to get the zoom info!
Sunday, August 10 from 3:00-4:00 pm
Virtual
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Contact Us
[email protected]
Save Our Schools Arizona
PO Box 28370
Tempe, AZ 85285
United States
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