by Jonathan Eberle | Oct 2, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
The Autism Academy for Education and Development (AAED), Arizona’s first fully accredited autism-only K-12+ private day school, has officially expanded its reach with the opening of a new campus in North Phoenix. The school marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by families, community leaders, and representatives from the Phoenix Mayor’s Office. Academy Founder and Director, Laura Newcomb, also recognized Arizona attorney and Attorney General candidate Rodney Glassman for his support and advocacy on behalf of families with children on the autism spectrum.
Founded in 2013, AAED now operates six in-person campuses across the Phoenix and Tucson areas, along with a virtual academy. The organization serves students across the autism spectrum through individualized education and therapy services designed to foster both academic and social growth.
The new North Phoenix campus has been purpose-built with features tailored to students’ needs. These include:
- Multi-sensory classrooms
- Small group instruction and low student-to-teacher ratios
- Individualized education plans (IEPs)
- Integrated speech and occupational therapy with oversight from Board-Certified Behavior Analysts
Beyond academics, the facility also offers sensory rooms, outdoor learning areas, and collaborative spaces designed to help students develop life skills such as communication, independence, and decision-making.
“Bringing our proven, individualized approach to autism education to North Phoenix allows us to reach more families and students who deserve access to specialized services close to home,” Newcomb said. “We designed this campus to foster independence, social growth, and academic achievement in every student.”
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Oct 1, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
A dispute over public records has emerged between state lawmakers and the Tolleson Union High School District, after the district declined to provide financial transaction records requested by the Legislature.
The conflict began after a July 21 Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) hearing on school district finances. Committee Co-Chairman Rep. Matt Gress (R–LD4) followed up with a formal request on August 26 seeking two years of financial records, including purchase orders, contracts, and payments to vendors.
Instead of complying, the district responded by refusing to release electronic records and imposing more than $26,000 in fees for hard copies—charges Gress argues are intended to deter requests. State law allows agencies to charge for the actual cost of copying or mailing records, but not for producing electronic files.
In a September 17 letter, Gress accused the district of setting “a dangerous and unacceptable precedent” by blocking access to basic financial information. He described the district’s stance as unprecedented, saying that other Arizona school districts have provided similar data without incident.
“Exporting purchase orders from financial software is simple, and other districts have complied quickly,” Gress said. “This refusal denies lawmakers the basic financial information needed to evaluate reforms and ensure tax dollars are spent responsibly.”
The lawmaker also raised concerns about the district’s reported consultation with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Gress noted that Attorney General Kris Mayes has previously provided records to the Legislature when her own office was under review. “It would be deeply troubling,” he said, if the Attorney General advised a district to withhold documents from legislative oversight.
In correspondence with the district, Gress emphasized that Arizona law (A.R.S. § 39-121 et seq.) grants the public the right to inspect government records and restricts fees to copying or mailing costs. He criticized the district’s explanation that the charges were meant to compensate staff time and discourage what it called “unreasonable” requests.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 1, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Superintendent Tom Horne and Treasurer Kimberly Yee are at odds over a sizeable loan to a school district.
Horne wants Yee to approve a $3 million cash advance to Nadaburg Unified School District (NUSD), located inside Wittman. He stated in a Monday press release that Yee failed to conduct a proper review of the district’s finances before denying the advance.
The superintendent cleared up previous reports of a projected deficit as a “clerical error.” Horne called Yee’s denial “irresponsible” and urged her to reconsider.
“Our Finance Division did its research and determined that Nadaburg is operating within its budget, and by the end of the year they will have a projected positive cash balance of $1.3 million. Initially it was thought that they would have a negative cash balance at the end of the year, but the Department of Education, being a service institution, checked the forms and found the district made an unintentional clerical error that they can correct,” said Horne. “The Treasurer could have done the same review because she has the necessary forms, which were provided to her by our office, and her office failed to follow up with us to determine why we approved the advance.”
Yee not only denied the district a $3 million cash advance to address a $5 million deficit, she asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to direct a special investigation of the district through the Auditor General. The reported deficit amounted to three times the total amount of revenue NUSD anticipates from property taxes.
Yee’s announcement came last week, several days before Horne issued his response.
The treasurer expressed concern that Horne and the Arizona Department of Education had approved an advance to a district “in considerable financial crisis.” Although Horne alleges Yee failed to conduct a proper review of NUSD finances, Yee claimed in that preceding press release that she identified poor financial practices.
“The state’s top education agency should have been able to identify, as the Arizona Treasury has, that this District may desperately need financial experts to bring their books into the black,” said Yee.
In the denial letter to NUSD Superintendent Aspasia Angelou, Yee said the district failed to justify the necessity of the expenses the advance would cover and failed to show efforts to reduce current expenses to the minimum.
“[This] raises concern that the deficit is not necessary due to the timing of property tax collections, but could potentially be indicative of gross financial mismanagement,” said Yee. “[Our office] is seriously concerned that an advancement of funds now will only compound the district’s deficit and harm the financial stability of the district for years to come.”
In his Monday press release, Horne dismissed Yee’s claim of financial mismanagement as lacking any evidence. Rather than evidence of impropriety, Horne said the request was normal.
“District cash advances are common because a school district’s income and expenses may fluctuate,” said Horne. “As long as the district’s cash position is positive by the end of the year, and the funds will be paid back, cash advances are allowable.”
NUSD cited a low ending fund balance from the prior fiscal year and decreased property tax collections in 2024 as the main reasons for the deficit.
There are nearly 1,500 students in NUSD.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Sep 30, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona is introducing a new apprenticeship program aimed at tackling the state’s ongoing teacher shortage, according to Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. The Arizona Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program (AZ TRAP), developed in collaboration with the Arizona Office of Apprenticeship, provides aspiring educators with a pathway to certification at little to no cost. Participants gain classroom experience while earning a wage and receiving mentoring and professional development.
“There is a crisis in Arizona, and we must take strong action. We are losing more teachers than are coming into the profession,” Horne said. “If we don’t do something major, we could end up with zero teachers. Apprenticeship programs are another tool to be used alongside efforts to improve teacher pay and administrative support.”
Horne emphasized that the program is designed to increase accessibility to teacher certification and build a stronger pipeline of educators. “The Arizona Department of Education is a service-oriented agency, and this effort is part of my commitment to training quality educators for Arizona classrooms,” he said.
The program has received $1.5 million in funding from the Maricopa County Workforce Development Board to support apprentices in Maricopa County for the 2025–2026 school year.
Key features of AZ TRAP include:
- Pilot partnerships with Mesa Public Schools, Phoenix Union High School District, The Arizona Teacher Residency Program, and PLC Charter Schools, which will employ teacher apprentices and collaborate with the Department of Education.
- Hands-on experience, giving aspiring teachers thousands of hours of on-the-job learning under the guidance of mentor teachers.
- Grow Your Own Model, allowing schools to select prospective employees and integrate them into their culture early, with the goal of improving teacher retention.
The apprenticeship program represents a targeted effort to prepare educators for Arizona classrooms while addressing one of the state’s most pressing education challenges.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Sep 29, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Native American students across Arizona are achieving significant improvements in reading and math proficiency, driven by targeted school improvement strategies, according to State Superintendent Tom Horne.
Notably, three schools in the Chinle Unified School District are now surpassing state averages in both math and English, making a transformative shift in educational outcomes. They saw an increase from 20% proficiency in 2023 to 34% districtwide.
“When I took office in January 2023, I was informed that the average proficiency rate for Native American students was five percent,” said Superintendent Horne in a press conference. “This was very upsetting to me, as it would affect the students’ employment prospects and quality of life. I said that we would change everything we were doing in that respect and give total focus to increasing proficiency rates among Native American students. I met with tribal leaders who were shocked to learn about the five percent number and agreed with me that action had to be taken.”
Through collaboration between the Offices of Indian Education and School Improvement, schools have received extensive support, such as teacher training, on-site visits, and leadership guidance, to help them and their students succeed.
Horne added, “With outstanding leadership from leaders of Native American districts, and our help, the proficiency rates of Native American students have soared.”
Other districts in the state have also reported extraordinary progress. Ganado Unified School District saw a 159% growth in students testing proficient in math and English, while Red Mesa Unified School District achieved a growth of 149%.
Baboquivari Unified School District recorded a 197% increase, Kayenta Unified School District a 122% jump, Sacaton Elementary District a 124% increase, and Tuba City Unified School District a 113% improvement.
Chinle Unified School District Superintendent Quincy Natay credited the success to a collective effort. “We are extremely proud of the progress our students and teachers have made,” Natay said. “These gains are a direct result of our governing board’s support of our vision and strategic plan, dedication of our educators, the support of our parents and communities, and the hard work of our students. We remain committed to building on this momentum and ensuring that all our students, across every grade level, have the opportunities and education to improve their quality of life.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Sep 28, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona State University history professor Alexander Aviña is at the center of controversy after social media posts highlighted comments he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk and Christianity.
The account Project Constitution posted on X that Aviña had referred to Kirk as “unimportant and hateful” and called Christians “blasphemous.” The post, which quickly spread online, accused the professor of mocking faith and using his position to disparage students’ beliefs.
A second post by Stu Smith also shared the clip from the podcast interview where Aviña continued to reflect on public mourning for Kirk. He compared the response to the aftermath of September 11, saying, “This feels even weirder than right after September 11th, much more intense.”
Aviña also described students whispering in his office out of concern for saying the wrong thing and criticized what he called the “fascistic revanchist right” for using the moment to “pummel the rest of us.”
In the same interview, Aviña ridiculed Kirk’s global influence, questioning whether “Kirk cultural or political spaces” might emerge in Latin America, and mocked online tributes depicting Kirk in heaven with Jesus.
“Gringo Christians are some of the most blasphemous, sacrilegious people,” he said, adding, “It is extremely bizarre… constant whiplash.”
The comments prompted backlash from voices online, who accused Aviña of disrespecting Christianity and dismissing the legacy of one of the right’s most prominent activists. Both Project Constitution and Stu Smith called on ASU to hold Aviña accountable, with Project Constitution urging followers to “cancel him.”
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
