by Staff Reporter | Mar 13, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
A new dashboard tracks the school closures taking place throughout Arizona.
The dashboard comes from the Common Sense Institute (CSI), a nonpartisan organization which primarily produces research on Arizona’s economy.
Since January, those schools which have closed or consolidated operated in the Maricopa, Navajo, and Yavapai counties within the following school districts: Cave Creek, Phoenix Elementary, Mesa Unified, Isaac, Edkey Inc. – Sequoia Village, and American Heritage Academy. Schools closed or consolidated included Lone Mountain Elementary School, Desert Sun Academy, Dunbar School, Heard School, George Washington Academy, and American Heritage Academy Camp Verde.
Data for the dashboard came from the Auditor General and Arizona Department of Education.
CSI also published a line graph chart detailing spending, inflation, enrollment and student proficiencies in math and reading from 2010 to 2024. This data came from the Arizona State Library, Arizona Department of Education, and Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
CSI director of policy and research, Glenn Farley, said the dashboard data indicates a pattern of declining public school enrollment rather than indefinite growth. Per this dashboard, school enrollment peaked over a decade ago.
“Arizona’s public school system was built on the assumption that enrollment would continue to grow indefinitely, but the reality has changed,” said Farley. “With district enrollment peaking over a decade ago and alternative schooling options gaining traction, closures are a natural consequence of a system adjusting to new realities.”
CSI’s dashboard reflects a severe disparity between public school spending, enrollment, and student proficiencies in math and reading. While spending increased by 80 percent since 2010, math and reading proficiencies dropped by 13 and nine percent, respectively, and enrollment dropped by one percent.
Spending far outpaced inflation, growing at over twice the rate: while spending increased by 80 percent, though inflation increased by only 36 percent.
CSI also found that the school-aged population departed from the total population trend around 2020 due to demographic changes. Combined enrollment in public kindergarten programs declined 13 percent since the 2010-11 school year, while total public school enrollment grew three percent.
The state’s school choice program, the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, grew to over 87,200 students as of Monday.
CSI clarified that demographic decline wasn’t the sole reason for changes in the school-aged population. CSI reported that charter school enrollment nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022, 55 percent of surveyed private schools experienced enrollment growth in the 2021 to 2022 school year, and homeschooling grew from two to 11 percent of the population during the pandemic (though that number dropped to around six percent in recent years).
An accompanying CSI report declared the disparities in funding, enrollment, and outcomes were signs of disconnect with the current state of enrollment and capacity.
“Charter, private, and home schools have continued growing, but Arizona’s district public school enrollment peaked over a decade ago,” read the CSI report. “A massive injection of new funding and resources over the past few years has led to significant new spending and expansion by these schools, though, which are now having to deal with the consequences of this disconnect between enrollment and capacity.”
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by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Mar 12, 2025 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
If the Hobbs administration has proven itself to be uniquely skilled at anything over the past two years, it’s incompetence and negligence. But now, Arizona’s governor has taken the next step toward outright fraud.
As a part of her recent budget proposal, Hobbs has asked for a supplemental appropriation to the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) to cover a shortfall in the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). Without the additional funding, the DDD could run out of money by May, affecting many people under a program that provides services to Arizonans with disabilities.
For weeks, Hobbs has been trying to push the blame onto the legislature, but the reality is, she has no one to blame but herself.
The problem stems from a COVID-era program funded entirely by the federal government that would pay parents who operate as caregivers for their children with disabilities—the Parents as Paid Caregivers program. The program was intended to be temporary, but Hobbs received approval from the federal government in February 2024 to make it permanent.
That approval came with a catch. Beginning on April 1, the State of Arizona would have to cover 32% of the costs, which Hobbs attempted to get funding for in last year’s budget. Her proposal was not approved by the legislature, which she mutually agreed to as part of the budget process. But she continued funding the program anyway—likely believing that she would be able to flip the legislature in November’s election or bully lawmakers into giving her the money. She failed on both counts and now has created a shortfall in the DDD program that has exceeded $100 million…
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by Matthew Holloway | Mar 12, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The City of Phoenix has drawn the attention of the Goldwater Institute, earning a stern response from the conservative think tank to “Stop violating taxpayers’ rights.” The rebuke comes over a proposed tax increase on businesses that provide services that are precluded by the Arizona Constitution. A final city council vote on this proposal is set for March 18, 2025.
If the hike on Transaction Privilege (“TPT”) and Use Tax rates is approved, the rates go into effect July 1, 2025.
According to Goldwater, “The city of Phoenix has proposed a tax increase on businesses that provide services, claiming it needs the money because of a revenue shortfall. But the burden of the new tax increase will ultimately fall hardest on Phoenix businesses and consumers, raising the prices of services like construction contracting and lodging.” As Goldwater observes, the Arizona Constitution (Art. IX § 25) outright forbids “any county, city, town, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of the state, or any district created by law” from creating any new or increasing any existing transaction-based taxes on the “privilege to engage in, or the gross receipts of sales or gross income derived from, any service performed in this state.”
Notably though, the prohibition on Section 25 “does not repeal or nullify any tax, fee, stamp requirement, or other assessment in effect on December 31, 2017,” and therefore allowed the pre-2017 taxes already in place. However, as Goldwater Attorney Stacy Skankey explains, the new rates would constitute a new tax under the law.
Skankey wrote succinctly, “New or increased taxation on services violates the Arizona Constitution.”
“The Arizona Constitution has a broad understanding of the term ‘service,’ and it includes a range of covered enterprises on anything that does not produce ‘goods.'”
“Service generally includes activities involving human effort like labor, skill, or advice. The term also covers businesses in the hospitality industry such as hotels, restaurants, and bars. Many of the business classifications subject to the proposed TPT tax increase are services as that term is used in the Constitution.
“The proposal by the Phoenix City Council is a tax increase on services, and therefore, is unconstitutional. Consequently, we urge the City to disapprove of the proposed TPT tax increase and any future proposed tax that may violate the Arizona Constitution.”
As reported by AZ Free News in January, the Goldwater Institute has already launched a lawsuit against the Town of Gilbert after municipal leaders unleashed a similar service tax on Town businesses including homebuilding and short-term rental properties.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Mar 12, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressmen Andy Biggs (R-AZ5) and Eli Crane (R-AZ2) shared a somewhat cramped carpool video with fellow Freedom Caucus members Reps. Josh Brecheen (R-OK2) and Clay Higgins (R-LA3) last week. The group was commuting from a meeting with President Donald Trump where they discussed the implementation of the president’s policy set out in his address to a Joint Session of Congress the previous night.
The congressmen made light of the close quarters but emphasized their commitment to forwarding the president’s agenda. Higgins quippedsarcastically, “This is the luxury that your congressmen ride in,” as the congressmen laughed. “As you can see we’re in a massive limousine, you know, even though we’re being fed grilled shrimp from the front. Also there’s three of us squeezed into a two-person seat!”
Biggs told followers, “We’re coming back from the White House where we had the privilege of meeting with President Trump. It’s always a great meeting. And we just wanted to let you know that we’re on the cheap, but we are working hard for you.”
Rep. Brecheen commented on Trump’s address saying, “Great speech last night. My gosh.”
Biggs added “We’re gonna do this. We’re going to get President Trump’s mandate through, and that’s not just President Trump’s mandate. That’s the people’s mandate.”
As reported by Fox News, members of the Freedom Caucus, led by Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD), met with Trump and Harris told the outlet, “It’s a meeting with the House Freedom Caucus leadership, and then a few of the people who philosophically share our feelings about the fiscal situation. And we’re going to hear what the president has to say.”
“I’m hopeful we can get this off the ground,” Harris said. “But, again, it’s going to involve all hands on deck in the Republican conference in the House.”
Rep. Higgins shared on Saturday, “MAGA Republicans have things well in hand. The CR through September is a final step of clearing the deck for President Trump and our America First agenda. Democrat elitists who have been devouring our country are freaking out, but they’re powerless to stop us.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 12, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Governor Katie Hobbs, or the staffers running her social media accounts, appear to lack mastery of the vocabulary known to native Arizonans.
The misspelling attributed to Hobbs occurred within a post announcing her support for Read Across America week.
“Reading opens doors, minds, and possibilities,” said Hobbs. “Thanks to the students at Chapparral [sic] Elementary for inviting me to be a part of your Read Across America Week.”
Hobbs visited Chaparral Elementary School and read aloud “A Walk in the Words” by Hudson Talbott to students.
Dan Coulson, former press secretary to Hobbs’ predecessor Doug Ducey, brought attention to the governor’s error.
“Please tell me Katie Hobbs isn’t teaching those kids spelling too!” posted Coulson. “Only one ‘P,’ Katie! It’s literally in the sign right behind you!”
Read Across America Week originated with the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 through Read Across America Day to encourage childhood literacy. The celebration was originally scheduled to take place on and around the birthday of Theodore Seuss Geisel — more commonly known by his pen name, “Dr. Seuss.” However, the NEA moved away from Dr. Seuss associations with the uproar over a handful of his books deemed racist in recent years: “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!” and “The Cat’s Quizzer.” These books are no longer published.
“Chaparral” defines lands predominantly consisting of dense shrubbery at high altitudes. Arizona contains approximately 3.5 million acres of chaparral habitat, or about four percent of the entire state’s nearly 73 million acres. Arizona’s chaparral species include those within the manzanita, acacia, juniper, and shrub live oak families, such as the birchleaf mountain-mahogany, skunkbush sumac, silktassels, hollyleaf buckhorn, cliffrose, desert olive, Palmer oak, Arizona white oak, Emory oak, pinyon pine, juniper, and desert ceanothus. Arizona chaparral also commonly contains succulents and wildlife found commonly within woodland or grassland habitats as well (certain night lizards and sparrows).
Monday’s post served as the latest public misstep by Hobbs.
Earlier this month, a clip of the governor venting her frustrations to the media over her inability to lead or control the state legislature went viral. Hobbs was unable to convince GOP lawmakers of her pick for the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH). Hobbs’ lamentations to the press were directed at one of the key lawmakers behind rejecting her nominations, State Senator Jake Hoffman. A significant reason for the rejection of Hobbs’ latest pick concerned an auditor general sunset review last fall which reported serious and expensive issues with the ADOH under Hobbs’ nominee. Hoffman criticized Hobbs’ behavior as a “full blown temper tantrum.”
Last month, state legislative leaders confronted Hobbs over the $122 million shortfall within the Arizona State Developmental Disabilities Program. GOP leaders and the state treasurer accused the governor of “gross financial mismanagement.”
In an effort to counteract the struggles of her administration and improve her public image ahead of her reelection bid next year, Hobbs has adopted GOP-leaning policies and stances as of late.
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