Tag: KTAR
Arguments in education tax on rich comes down to fine (percentage) points. See related news here
The question of whether Arizonans get to vote on a tax hike on the wealthy to raise $690 million a year for education could depend on what a judge thinks of a math teacher’s explanation of the difference between “percent” and “percentage point.”
At a hearing Tuesday, both sides agreed that the Invest in Ed initiative would boost the tax rate on earnings above $250,000 a year for individuals and $500,000 from 4.54 percent to 8 percent. And what’s clear is that the mathematical difference between the two figures is 3.46.
Arizona schools see more vaccine exemptions in back-to-back years
Vaccine exemption rates across the state of Arizona for children in child care, kindergarten and elementary school have increased for the second year in a row.
Arizona law requires children attending in school or child care to document that they have obtained certain vaccines, but allows exemptions from doctors for medical purposes or from parents for personal reasons, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The increase in exemptions has led to a decrease in the coverage rates for children in all three groups – child care, kindergarten and elementary school.
Invest in Ed ballot initiative turns in voter signatures. See related news here
Arizona Educators United was hoping to write more history Thursday (July 5) with an announcement of signatures it had collected to get an initiative on the November ballot.
“Right now we are continuing the effort we started at the Capitol with Red for Ed,” Red for Ed organizer and elementary school music teacher Noah Karvelis told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.
The Invest In Ed campaign needed to collect more than 150,000 valid signatures by July 5.
A month after six-day walkout, pay for Arizona teachers trending upward. See related stories here
A month after a six-day walkout that led to a 20 percent raise by 2020, pay for teachers in Arizona is trending upward.
“Arizona has traditionally been towards the bottom of teacher pay,” said Dan Hunting, a senior policy analyst at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
He said the latest numbers by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that is starting to change.
After walkout and pay bump, what’s next for #RedForEd movement? See more statewide education news here
After Arizona lawmakers signed a $10.4 billion budget bill last week, effectively bringing an end to a six-day teacher walkout over low pay and poor classroom conditions, one question remained: What was next for the #RedForEd movement?
Organizers with Arizona Educators United, the group behind the movement, and the Arizona Education Association asked teachers to start collecting signatures in an effort to get an initiative on the ballot in November.
Your Turn: The fix for 40-student classrooms? These 2 measures in the fall. See related stories here
Zoe Hyde has had quite an awakening in her first year as a fifth-grade teacher in the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix.
In college, she imagined what her classroom and school experience would be like. … The reality has been very different, and it’s the reason she and tens of thousands of teachers and their supporters protested day after day at the state Capitol.
#RedForEd organizers: Arizona teachers will vote on walkout. See related stories here
Teachers across the state will vote this week on whether to walk out for more education funding, according to Arizona Educators United, the grassroots group coordinating the #RedForEd movement.
Organizers late Sunday said educators would vote in person Tuesday through Thursday to determine whether they would follow the lead of teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
Arizonans wear red to protest low teacher pay. See related education stories here
Arizonans wore red Wednesday to protest low teacher salaries, which makes it hard to recruit and retain teachers, just a day after the West Virginia teachers’ strike ended with the teachers receiving a five percent pay increase.
Arizona Teacher Academy offers free tuition for prospective teachers. See related stories
A newly launched program aims to increase the number of qualified teachers in Arizona K-12 public schools by providing a tuition waiver for participating students at the three state universities.
Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, first pitched the Arizona Teacher Academy idea in his “State of the State” speech in January. Tuesday, he announced 230 students enrolled for the first year.
“Teaching isn’t just a job, it’s a noble public service,” Ducey said.
Aspiring teachers sign a deal to join the academy. For every one year they promise to work in Arizona schools, they get a one-year college tuition waiver.
Arizona Education Department Gets $20 Million Grant To Improve Preschool Access
The Arizona Department of Education got confirmation this week that their preschool improvement efforts can look forward to another round of $20 million in grant money. Arizona was one of 18 states to receive federal funding.
The money is part of a four-year federal grant intended to help states expand access to high quality preschool for children from low- to moderate-income families.
