Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) is contemplating more school closures as enrollment continues to decline.
The SUSD governing board discussed their options going forward during Tuesday’s meeting. Superintendent Scott Menzel said “some very, very difficult decisions need to be made.”
Since 2010, SUSD enrollment has declined by 6,000 students and the district has only closed one school. SUSD also reported rising costs, competition against school choice programs for students, and underutilized facilities as key pressures on district conditions.
“We have far more physical space than we have students to fill that space,” said Menzel.
As part of Phase I of restructuring for “full and thriving schools,” SUSD decided to close Pima Elementary School and Echo Canyon School. The district is now in Phase II, where it will decide the fate of the Desert Mountain Learning Community and Copper Ridge School.
Capacity is below 50% at Laguna Elementary (43%), Desert Canyon Elementary (37%), and Cheyenne Traditional (11%).
SUSD is facing an open meetings violation complaint pertaining to these closed-door Phase II proceedings to determine closures and consolidations.
SUSD’s Phase II Design Advisory Team doesn’t permit the public to attend its meetings under its classification as a Superintendent Advisory Committee, but the complaint against the district contends that the team was formed at the direction of the governing board.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) is now handling the complaint after the Arizona Attorney General’s Office cited a potential conflict of interest.
The MCAO told AZ Free News that they just recently received the complaint from the attorney general on July 17, though it was filed back in April. Their office also told us that it couldn’t provide any additional details at this time since it is an open investigation.
The Phase II Design Advisory Team presented three options for further restructuring, in the following order of greatest to least preferences:
First-most preference: close Copper Ridge K-8 and Laguna Prep, redistribute boundaries, and a possible Desert Canyon K-8 merger. This option would impact 773 to 872 students and provide more than $2.7 million in savings.
Second-most preference: move Cheyenne Traditional K-8 to Copper Ridge, move Laguna Prep and Redfield to Cheyenne campus, and a potential Desert Canyon K-8 merger. This option would impact 2,126 to 2,232 students and provide nearly $2.6 million in savings.
Third-most preference: merge Desert Canyon schools into K-8 at Copper Ridge, close Laguna Prep, repurpose Desert Canyon campuses and Laguna Prep. This option would impact 2,132 to 2,153 students and provide nearly $2.7 million in savings.
Impact was measured beyond students moving into schools to include certain students at receiving schools.
All three options were presented with multiple potential models for restructuring boundaries.
Member Amy Carney attempted to explain that she believed closing schools was the “easy option,” to which she objected, but was interrupted multiple times by Governing Board Vice President Mike Sharkey and counsel with cautions that she shouldn’t express opinions about what the board should and shouldn’t do prior to community debate on the options.
Member Carine Werner urged agendizing a board discussion about the options before them prior to the board meeting in October in which they are scheduled to make a vote.
Member Matthew Pittinsky expressed caution against exploring other options beyond what the Phase II Design Advisory Team had presented to them; he characterized Carney’s position as “a very slippery slope.”
The district said it has not yet determined how it would repurpose any closed schools.
SUSD scheduled a special session to receive additional community input on September 22.
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The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) is targeting Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs over her veto of legislation that would have eliminated municipal grocery taxes. Party Chairman Sergio Arellano said digital advertisements are targeting undecided voters, with additional ads forthcoming. An anti-Hobbs graphic appeared in a September 8 post, as Arellano defended the party’s advertising strategy in a newsletter reported by AZFamily.
The AZGOP released its first ad against Hobbs on September 4, highlighting the governor’s veto of SB 1231, the Arizona Border Invasion Act. Arellano identified it as the party’s first ad and encouraged supporters to share it. The legislation would have created a state offense for a noncitizen entering or attempting to enter Arizona directly from a foreign nation outside a lawful port of entry.
Arizonans overwhelmingly voted YES on border security. Katie Hobbs said NO.
She ignored our communities and opened the doors to dangerous criminals and deadly drugs.
Andy Biggs is ready to secure our state. Katie Hobbs never will.
Arellano addressed concerns about the visibility of Republican advertising in a recent newsletter, writing that “more ads are on the way.” He said the party’s online commercials were targeting undecided voters and encouraged supporters to share them.
“I know many of you have been concerned that you haven’t seen ads,” Arellano wrote, arguing that the party is being “as fiscally conservative with our donors’ contributions as we possibly can be.”
“The newsletter message is a direct response to the tens of thousands of Republicans I’ve heard from who are frustrated with Katie Hobbs’ lies and concerned that she may once again get away without being seriously challenged by the mainstream media,” Arellano said.
The station also reported criticism from former AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda, who urged the party to deploy its resources.
“Your job is to get to zero,” she said.
AZFamily reported that Hobbs had spent more than $10 million on television advertising and that Biggs had yet to launch a traditional television campaign. The article did not provide a dollar amount for the AZGOP’s digital campaign.
State campaign-finance filings provide a partial picture of the party’s finances before the current advertising push. The Republican Party of Arizona, LLC reported $151,016.45 in cash disbursements during the first quarter of 2026, $175,829.83 during the second quarter, and $23,491.60 during the July 1–4 pre-primary reporting period.
Those reports total $350,337.88 in party disbursements from January 1 through July 4. The expenditures cover general party operations, including payroll, rent, legal services, consulting, mailings, and event costs. The three reports do not identify a specific amount spent opposing Hobbs. The party reported a cash balance of $1,114,887.48 at the close of the July 4 reporting period.
The AZGOP graphic released September 8thstates, “Katie Hobbs is LYING to your friends and neighbors every day, all day long. Tell them the truth – time and time again, Katie Hobbs chose higher prices over the needs of Arizona families. Voters know she has taken Arizona is the WRONG direction.”
The accompanying image accuses Hobbs of choosing higher prices over Arizona families.
Katie Hobbs is LYING to your friends and neighbors every day, all day long.
Tell them the truth – time and time again, Katie Hobbs chose higher prices over the needs of Arizona families. Voters know she has taken Arizona is the WRONG direction. pic.twitter.com/bCHzmrpwQl
The ad refers to legislation Hobbs vetoed on March 28, 2023. Senate Bill 1063 would have prohibited municipal taxes on food for home consumption beginning in July 2025. In her veto letter, Hobbs cited local officials’ concerns about potential service cuts and property-tax increases. She also argued that the delayed effective date would prevent immediate relief and that purchases made with SNAP and WIC benefits were already exempt.
The grocery-tax veto has become a campaign issue for Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs, who criticized Hobbs’ record after her 2022 comments about potentially supporting a repeal.
The AZGOP’s social media criticism of Hobbs has also included the Sunshine Residential Homes investigation. In a September 3 statement, Arellano questioned Attorney General Kris Mayes’ handling of allegations involving political contributions and Department of Child Safety rate increases, and urged voters to elect Biggs.
Mayes announced August 21 that the investigation had uncovered no evidence of the quid pro quo necessary to support a bribery charge. A separate investigation involving Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and the Arizona Auditor General remains ongoing.
The next regular state party report covers July 5 through September 30 and is due October 15. That reporting period encompasses the party’s current campaign activity against Hobbs.
Congressman Paul Gosar’s campaign announced Monday that the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) has endorsed his reelection bid and awarded him an “A” rating ahead of the November general election.
Gosar, a Republican representing Arizona’s Ninth Congressional District, faces Democrat Danielle “Dani” Sterbinsky following the state’s July 21 primary election.
The NRA just endorsed my campaign and gave me an A rating.
I have never wavered on the Second Amendment. Our right to keep and bear arms is not negotiable, and I have voted that way every single time.
“I have never wavered on the Second Amendment,” Gosar said. “Our right to keep and bear arms is not negotiable, and I have voted that way every single time. I am grateful to have the NRA standing with me.”
The NRA-PVF evaluates candidates based on their voting records, public statements, and responses to its candidate questionnaire. Its grading system defines an “A” candidate as someone who has supported NRA positions on key votes or demonstrated support for Second Amendment issues.
Gosar’s campaign said he has maintained a career “A” rating from the organization. His congressional office also listed a career “A” rating from the NRA among its career ratings as of Jan. 1, 2024. His campaign platform states his opposition to a national gun registry and other legislation he considers an infringement on gun rights.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) summaries covering campaign activity through July 1 show Gosar held a cash advantage over Sterbinsky. Gosar’s campaign reported $303,213.70 in cash on hand, while Sterbinsky’s campaign reported $25,744.84. The FEC summaries list $580,042.50 in total receipts for Gosar from Jan. 1, 2025, through July 1, 2026, and $354,382.57 for Sterbinsky from July 1, 2025, through July 1, 2026.
The Ninth District includes communities in Mohave, La Paz, Maricopa, and Yuma counties, encompassing portions of western Arizona and the Phoenix metropolitan area’s West Valley.
Gosar was first elected to Congress in 2010 after working as a dentist. His campaign’s stated priorities include federal spending cuts, a balanced budget amendment, border security, domestic energy development, and lower taxes.
Sterbinsky’s campaign website identifies her as a Navy veteran and human resources professional living in Wittmann. Her platform includes housing affordability, reducing health care and prescription drug costs, and expanding rural infrastructure, including broadband access.
Arizona’s general election is scheduled for Nov. 3. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 5.
Two candidates are accusing the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC) of issuing threats that forced a stop to their campaigns.
Risa Lombardo, the Green Party nominee for governor, and DuWayne Collier, the Green Party nominee for secretary of state, filed the lawsuit in the Maricopa County Superior Court against CCEC last week. CCEC Executive Director Tom Collins was also named in the lawsuit.
Lombardo and Collier were both qualified by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes as having enough signatures and donations to become Clean Elections candidates, meaning they were eligible to receive public funding for their campaigns.
In order to qualify as a Clean Elections candidate and receive that public funding, candidates must collect a specific number of $5 donations from individual donors and then agree to forgo other funding sources once qualified. Any candidates who receive Clean Elections funding may not withdraw from the organization.
Lombardo and Collier alleged in their lawsuit that Collins threatened them with consequences if they continued spending their Clean Elections funding, four months after they were approved for the funds.
Collins told Lombardo and Collier in separate letters that they would be required to repay the funds — $2.8 million in Lombardo’s case, and $739,000 in Collier’s case — pending the outcome of his investigation.
Collins sent the letters on the same day that the Arizona Mirror published an article outlining similar claims of fraud. The media reporting cited six individuals who were listed as donors but claimed they never donated to Lombardo, Collier, or a third candidate for governor, Scott Neely, and that the three candidates contained a significant share of donors that had no other donor history.
Collins accused Lombardo and Collier of falsifying voter identities to manufacture the $5 contributions they needed. His letters to Lombardo included references to a bank statement reflecting a nominal balance around the time she should have had thousands in qualifying contributions, and that those contributions only appeared later in a lump-sum deposit. The lump-sum deposit accusation was also raised in Collins’ letter to Collier.
Collins also told Lombardo that her secretary of state certification had been in error because of sampling requirements: Lombardo had not submitted more than 4,400 qualifying contributions, which would have been the minimum required to meet the statutory 110% qualifier for certification.
Collins advised that he would ask CCEC to initiate repayment order proceedings at their virtual meeting on August 27.
CCEC didn’t issue a repayment order, but did direct Collins to investigate Lombardo and Collier further. CCEC requested that Collins deliver his findings sometime between September 24 and their next meeting, which is not scheduled to occur until October 29 — five days before the general election.
Lombardo and Collier claim these looming threats from Collins spanning the remainder of the months leading up to the election have left them unable to continue their campaigns and therefore violated their free speech rights.
“Restrictions that burden spending for political speech, whether candidate spending or independent spending, get strict scrutiny and usually fail,” stated their lawsuit. “Defendants are trying to bully and intimidate Plaintiffs into effectively dropping their campaigns, campaigns the Commission disapproves of, by depriving them of Commission funding, or threatening to subject each to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in repayment obligations.”
Lombardo and Collier also alleged that Collins and CCEC were acting beyond their statutory authority.
They claimed that the secretary of state, not CCEC, certifies a candidate’s qualification for Clean Elections funding.
“The Commission is without power to subsequently declare, months after the Secretary of State’s certification has been completed, that a candidate should not have qualified for Clean Elections funding in the first instance and must repay their funds back to the Commission,” stated their lawsuit.
Lombardo and Collier are asking the court to enjoin CCEC from decertifying them and undertaking further actions effectively suspending their campaigns.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Congressmen Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) are urging the Trump administration to select Arizona State University (ASU) as the home of a new national advanced manufacturing center aimed at strengthening military readiness and the U.S defense industrial base.
Biggs led a letter this month alongside Crane to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth supporting an ASU Research Enterprise proposal to establish the Applied Research for Manufacturing Operational Readiness Center or ARMOR Center, at ASU’s Polytechnic campus.
The U.S. Army is seeking to establish the center to help move advanced manufacturing technologies from research and development into practical military applications.
Under ASU’s proposal, the ARMOR Center would create a pipeline for developing, testing, qualifying, and scaling new manufacturing technologies before transitioning them into the Army’s Organic Industrial Base, defense contractors, and other manufacturing partners.
The center would focus on areas including additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence-enabled manufacturing, advanced composites and point-of-need production.
“Led by institutions and companies like Arizona State University, our state continues to position itself at the forefront of America’s defense industrial base,” stated Congressman Biggs. “Throughout my time in Congress, I have been pleased to support projects and initiatives that strengthen our national defense and help safeguard our citizens, freedoms, and interests.”
I recently led a letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth supporting Arizona State University’s application to establish the Applied Research for Manufacturing Operational Readiness Center at ASU’s Polytechnic campus in #AZ05.
Biggs said ASU is well positioned to lead the effort and expressed hope that the administration will select the university’s proposal.
In their letter to Hegseth, Biggs and Crane argued that Arizona’s existing defense industry, military installations, semiconductor investments, and research capabilities make the state a strong candidate for the center.
Arizona is home to major defense and aerospace companies including Raytheon, Honeywell Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Boeing, along with hundreds of suppliers involved in the production of missiles, aircraft, avionics, and electronics.
Biggs and Crane also pointed to more than $210 billion in semiconductor and microelectronics investments announced in Arizona since 2020, arguing that the expanding industry could provide the Army with an established network for developing and scaling advanced manufacturing technologies.
Arizona’s military presence was also highlighted in the letter.
Fort Huachuca and Yuma Proving Ground support Army missions and testing, while Luke Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma provide additional military infrastructure within the state.
“Few states combine manufacturing, research, testing, and military operations in one place,” wrote Biggs and Crane.
ASU has also invested heavily in manufacturing research at its Polytechnic campus. It’s $200 million interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 contains approximately $6 million in advanced manufacturing equipment, according to the letter.
The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in manufacturing engineering and graduates more than 1,000 students annually across manufacturing, mechanical, and industrial engineering programs.
ASU has also conducted nearly $300 million in Department of War research during the past three fiscal years and leads one of the nation’s eight Microelectronics Commons hubs.
Beyond establishing the ARMOR Center, ASU’s proposal could position Arizona to host a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) supporting the Army’s modernization and readiness efforts.
Such a center would provide the Army with a long-term research partner focused on developing and transitioning technologies needed for national defense.
Supporters contend that bringing the ARMOR Center to Arizona could strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity, expand the military’s ability to adopt emerging technologies, and reduce vulnerabilities within defense supply chains.
“A UARC in Arizona would deepen the Army’s partnership with a state that already delivers defense manufacturing, semiconductor production, federally funded research, and a skilled engineering workforce,” Biggs and Crane wrote.
Biggs and Crane asked Hegseth to give ASU’s proposal “full and fair consideration,” arguing that Arizona’s combination of defense manufacturing, military infrastructure, research capabilities and engineering workforce makes the state a natural location for the new national center.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona lawmakers are continuing efforts to prepare the state for advanced air mobility, hosting Joby Aviation at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport this week for a demonstration of the company’s autonomous flight technology.
Senate Majority Whip Frank Carroll (R-LD28) and Sen. David Farnsworth (R-LD10) attended the event, which featured Joby’s autonomous J208 aircraft and marked the beginning of the company’s nationwide Electric Skies tour.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arizona Senate Republicans Help Prepare State for the Future of Advanced Air Mobility
The J208 is a Cessna 208 Caravan equipped with autonomous aviation technology developed by Xwing, an autonomy division acquired by Joby Aviation in 2024. The aircraft is separate from Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi, which the company is developing for commercial passenger service.
Joby said the J208 departed Concord, California, on September 8 for its 2026 Electric Skies tour, which is intended to demonstrate autonomous aviation technology during a cross-country flight.
Joby reported that the aircraft completed its eastbound cross-country journey under remote supervision, with an onboard safety pilot who made no control inputs.
September is shaping up to be a huge month for our J208 program and the future of autonomous flight.
Former fighter pilot @maxabusa spent his career flying with a stick and a rudder.
The pilot commanding the J208 uses a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone.
The Phoenix event continued a series of demonstrations and legislative initiatives aimed at expanding Arizona’s advanced air mobility sector.
In March, Farnsworth hosted representatives from Pivotal Aviation at the Arizona Capitol for discussions about potential uses of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in communities including Superior and Globe.
Those discussions focused on rural transportation, emergency response, public safety, and connections between communities that have limited access to traditional transportation infrastructure. Pivotal Aviation markets the Helix, a single-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Later that month, legislation sponsored by Farnsworth had advanced through the House Technology and Infrastructure Committee.
One measure, SB 1826, would appropriate $2 million from the Advanced Air Mobility Fund to the Arizona Office of Defense Innovation and require a public-private partnership supporting autonomous systems, advanced aviation, and related defense and aerospace development.
A second measure, SB 1549, would add ultralight vehicles to Arizona’s statutory definition of advanced air mobility.
The legislative work builds upon SB 1307, sponsored by Carroll and signed into law in 2025. The law directs the Arizona Department of Transportation to incorporate advanced air mobility into state aviation planning and consider infrastructure including vertiports, charging facilities, emergency-response applications, and integration with existing transportation systems.
Arizona’s fiscal year 2025-2026 transportation budget also deposited $2 million into the Advanced Air Mobility Fund. State law allows the fund to support planning, infrastructure development, research, workforce development, public education, and local transportation projects connected with advanced air mobility.
Carroll said Arizona has an opportunity to lead the next major development in transportation by creating a regulatory and infrastructure environment that encourages aviation investment.
“We’ve been laying the groundwork at the legislature so companies developing the future of aviation know Arizona is open for innovation and ready for investment,” Carroll said. “Advanced Air Mobility can improve connectivity between our communities, strengthen emergency response and public safety, support our defense industry, connect communities, and create tremendous economic opportunities.”
“Arizona has the opportunity to lead the next revolution in transportation,” he continued.
Farnsworth said technological development in the sector is accelerating and that lawmakers must ensure state policy keeps pace.
“Our responsibility as lawmakers is to remove unnecessary barriers and ensure that the infrastructure and policies are in place to translate innovation into real-world transportation.” He added, “This is about more than new aircraft. It’s about jobs, economic growth, stronger communities, and giving Arizonans entirely new ways to move around our state.”
“The technology is here, the momentum is building, and Arizona has every ingredient necessary to become the national leader in Advanced Air Mobility,” Farnsworth continued.
Joby also demonstrated its autonomous technology during the U.S. military’s 2025 Resolute Force Pacific exercise, testing capabilities for cargo delivery and military logistics. According to Joby’s account, the campaign logged more than 7,000 autonomous miles, including round-trip ferry flights across the Pacific; six exercise sorties accounted for 2,416 miles. Ground stations supervised the flights, with a safety pilot aboard to monitor system performance.
Carroll and Farnsworth said they are continuing to consult aviation companies and other stakeholders as they prepare for the 2027 legislative session. The Senate Republican announcement did not identify specific legislation planned for the session.
Correction:An earlier version incorrectly described the 2025 military demonstration as transporting personnel and attributed its total flight mileage to operations between Hawaiian locations. The article has been corrected to describe the cargo-logistics demonstration, distinguish exercise mileage from ferry flights, and include the presence of an onboard safety pilot.
