Allegra H. Fullerton

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AZCARES - funding breakdown

June 26, 2020

Earlier this week, our Governor shared how the state will be spending federal CARES money to support schools as they navigate reopening amongst COVID-19. Arizona school funding has been an area that I’ve studied both formally as a public policy graduate student and informally as a parent navigating our school system.

Essentially, Arizona has $850 million to support schools in the 2020-2021 school year. Of this, the bulk of the money available for districts and charters to apply for grants through the department of education. $270 million of this was given to the state to spend on additional programming. The AZCARES act is Arizona’s plan to spend that amount. The graphic below from the Governor’s office helps see the breakdown.

screen shot 2020 06 25 at 12 03 08 pm

The following list describes how the 270 million dollars will be allocated. Bolded items signify funding through the GEER fund .

  • $200 million for Enrollment Stability Grants
  • $40 million for expanding broadband in rural communities
  • $20 million for additional support for high-needs schools
  • $6 million for the Arizona Teacher’s Academy
  • $1 million for innovation microgrants to be managed by A for Arizona
  • $1 million for vehicles for the AZ School for The Deaf and Blind
  • $700,000 for leadership development through Beat the Odds Academy
  • $500,000 for tutoring provided by Teach for America

Alright, this is a bunch of numbers. So what does this mean exactly?

The $200 million for the Enrollment Stability Grants are funds that will keep schools funded at 98% of their 2019 enrollment. Charter schools can be funded at their 2019 or 2020 enrollment depending on which is greater. This money also funds online students at the same rate as in person. As parents decide what school and what learning option is best for them this gives schools the stability to know that even if they have enrollment dips this year, their funding will not be reduced.

The broadband expansion essentially installs high-speed internet alongside I-17 between Sunset Point and Flagstaff and I-19 between Tucson and Nogales. This is helpful and will get broadband closer to families. It’s also very similar to propsoed legislation that didn’t make it over the finish line during the last session therefore I think this improves the success of implementation due to vested interests.

Acceleration Academies are funds that schools can use to hire reading, math, and paraprofessionals. This is prioritized for high-need and underperforming schools pre COVID-19. To me, this is a similar initiative to Project Rocket, another piece of legislation that was halted this past session.

The Arizona Teacher Academy is an established program in partnership with Arizona colleges. They offer tuition waivers and support to students wanting to become teachers. These funds go to help them continue and expand their efforts.

[School Innovation Microgrants] (https://www.aforarizona.org/) are how they sound, money that schools can apply for to try new education methods or models. These grants will be administered by A for Arizona who is also providing matching philanthropic funds.

The one million for the AZ Schools for The Deaf and Blind are to support their vehicle fleet. These educators travel the state providing services and need additional vehicles.

Beat the Odds Leadership Academyis a leadership development initiative led by The Center for the Future of Arizona. The additional funding support the growth of this program to develop and expand virtual delivery methods providing opportunities for tribal and rural leaders.

Teach for America funding will be used to provide stipends to corps recruits to tutor students that are most impacted across the state.

Okay, now we know what these funds are for, but what does it mean to our state? Well, it depends. My perspective is that it’s a start. We are all navigating uncharted waters together and ultimately share the vested interest of providing mastery to every student in Arizona. Understanding the gaps between how policies are written and how they play out continues to be one of my greatest academic interests. Next week I’ll share my perspective on school reopening plans and we can start to see how these funds will be implemented.

This is my independent research and analysis and is not affiliated with any organization. Please cite accordingly

Written by Allegra Fullerton. Follow me on Twitter