Arizona has approximately $29 million in unused federal funds for schools, which Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Superintendent Tom Horne seeks to recover.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) notified Horne of the unused millions last week. The $29 million in Title I funds were underutilized during the administration of Horne’s predecessor, Kathy Hoffman. This was reportedly the first notification of its kind submitted by ED to the state under Horne’s administration.
In a press release on Monday, Horne blamed the underutilization on incompetence.
“The under-utilization of about $29 million in federal funds began in Federal Fiscal Year 2020, but continued under the previous superintendent and the employee who incompetently handed these allocations no longer works at this department,” said Horne.
Horne rejected allegations by Governor Katie Hobbs that he was at fault for the mismanagement of these millions, which fell under his predecessor’s control.
“These dollars should have been sent to districts and charters years ago during the Hoffman administration, but they were allowed by previous staff to accumulate and potentially revert,” said Horne. “In reality she is asking to investigate Kathy Hoffman’s administration, but the problem is being corrected by my administration.”
Horne had clarified in a press release last week, responding to reporting by The Arizona Republic, that it was specifically one employee within Hoffman’s administration that was to blame. Horne claimed that the individual gave incorrect allocation totals to schools. Horne didn’t name that employee.
“The mishandling and failure to notify districts of correct allocations with time for them to properly plan and spend the money resulted from an error by an employee of my predecessor before I took office,” said Horne. “This person told the schools they had smaller allocations than they had. We were constantly on the phone urging districts to spend as much of the money properly as they could.”
The superintendent noted that the Arizona Republic was aware that oversight of the funds fell under Hoffman, but that they had “dishonestly withheld” that information from their reporting. Horne also demanded a retraction of their “false” reporting.
“The story is false, and the reporter responsible for writing it dishonestly and, apparently with intent, withheld information given to him in advance of the story that clearly shows the story is false,” said Horne. “This is unacceptable and cannot stand.”
KJZZ identified the former staffer as a current employee of the Pima County School Superintendent’s Office.
One member of that office, Peter Laing, their CFO, served as Hoffman’s policy advisor and oversaw the various federal funding programs during the pandemic.
Hoffman, in turn, told the Arizona Republic that Horne was to blame for not recognizing the missteps of her administration upon taking over.
“It was their choice to bring in their own leadership, so those people needed to figure out all the grant funding. It’s as simple as that,” said Hoffman.
On Monday, in response to the contested Arizona Republic reporting, Hobbs and six Democratic state representatives demanded the convening of a Joint Legislative Audit Committee to audit Horne and ADE over the Title I funds.
In a press release, Hobbs said Horne was to blame for the disappearance of the majority of those millions, around $24 million, which the governor deemed as lost.
“It is unconscionable that Superintendent Horne has let tens of millions of dollars disappear from our schools—critical federal funding that helps students succeed,” said Hobbs. “Our kids deserve better.”
An accompanying letter from the six Democratic lawmakers — Nancy Gutierrez, Lupe Contreras, Oscar De Los Santos, Melody Hernandez, Jennifer Pawlik, and Judy Schwiebert — argued against ADE’s refusal, per department policy, to release its data and formulas determining reduced Title I allocations.
The lawmakers alleged that it was current ADE practices that withheld federal funding from schools.
“School finance officers across the state have tried and failed to recreate the reductions generated by the Department, leading to confusion and doubt regarding the accuracy of those calculations,” stated the lawmakers.
In order to recoup the $29 million, ADE must apply for a Tydings waiver allowing excess funds accrued due to underallocations beginning with the 2020 fiscal year. Approval of the waiver will increase funding to districts and charters, per ADE.
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Vice President Kamala Harris and her vice-presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, will be coming to campaign in Arizona on Friday. Details of their visit are forthcoming.
Harris and Walz will be visiting a little over a week after Trump’s vice presidential pick, Ohio Senator JD Vance, addressed Arizonans in Glendale.
Harris and Walz will come to Phoenix, but details of the exact location and time have not yet been released.
The visit comes shortly after Harris passed over Senator Mark Kelly as her running mate pick. Kelly put his support behind Walz on Tuesday, and disclosed to his supporters that he didn’t believe he would be the pick.
“I never expected to find myself in this position,” said Kelly.
Vice President @KamalaHarris and Governor @Tim_Walz are going to move us forward. They’re already building a campaign to unite our country — and @GabbyGiffords and I are ready to do everything we can to help them win.
Former Governor Doug Ducey toldThe New York Post in an interview this week that Harris and the Biden administration have been the worst on handling the border. Ducey served as governor under former Presidents Barack Obama as well as Donald Trump, as well as Biden.
Ducey asserted that Harris had failed on handling the border and ought to answer for it as a presidential candidate; Biden tasked Harris with handling the illegal immigration crisis in the first months of Biden’s term, resulting in the widespread acknowledgment of her being the “border czar.”
“She’s never been to Arizona’s border to this date. And that is an issue that she has failed on,” said Ducey. “This was all avoidable with attention to the border, and this is something that Kamala Harris will have to answer for in this presidential campaign.”
Not all Republican leaders have been so critical of Harris. They are part of an organized Harris campaign effort to win over voters in this swing state, similar to one launched four years ago by the Biden campaign.
Mesa’s registered Republican mayor, John Giles, endorsed Harris in a widely-reported guest column last month with The Arizona Republic. Giles also happens to be Mormon, and reported as part of growing Mormon support for Harris over Trump.
Giles cited Trump’s response to the 2020 election results as his main reason for opposing the Republican nominee. Giles also claimed that Arizona had benefited from Biden administration policies such as massive funding for infrastructure and semiconductor development. Giles also criticized pro-life and pro-gun policies as “far-right” threats to rights and freedoms.
“Trump poses a serious threat to our nation. We can’t have a felon representing us on the national stage, let alone one who would threaten to abandon NATO and ruin our standing abroad,” wrote Giles. “Kamala Harris is the competent, just and fair leader our country deserves. This year too much is at stake to vote Republican at the top of the ticket.”
Giles has endorsed Democrats for several election cycles to date, as Arizona GOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda later clarified in a response statement.
“The Mayor has been endorsing Democrats for several election cycles now. This isn’t news, and it certainly doesn’t warrant any of our attention,” said Swoboda. “At the AZGOP, we are focused on expanding support and addressing issues that matter most to Arizonans and the American people.”
Giles gave $100 to Lorena Austin in April, the state’s first nonbinary and gender nonconforming elected official who made headlines recently for hosting an all-ages drag show fundraiser.
Giles also joined as the co-chair of the Arizona chapter to a newly-formed Harris campaign advisory committee, “Republicans for Harris,” which held a press conference earlier this week on their goal to “Stop Trump.”
Republican Mayor of Mesa, AZ John Giles:
“I think the time has come for us as AZ Republicans to admit the obvious…which is that our party’s nominee is not qualified for office and that we need to vote for the adult in the room, and that is Kamala Harris.” pic.twitter.com/ZV7F2KTGIE
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) August 5, 2024
The other co-chair of this “campaign within a campaign” within Arizona is Robin Shaw, a former state representative who served in the 1990s. Shaw also campaigned against Trump in the 2020 election alongside the Lincoln Project as part of the “Republicans for Biden” movement.
One of the most notable members of that 2020 movement for Biden was former Senator Jeff Flake.
Former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana was also presented as a member of the Republicans for Harris effort.
HAPPENING NOW: Arizona Republicans endorse Vice President Harris and slam Trump for his attacks on democracy. GOP leaders will form a new advisory committee to help the Harris for Arizona campaign reach Republicans who will reject MAGA from now until November 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/UKySKxC0LG
The woman who announced the widely-reported Republicans for Harris press conference, Delaney Corcoran, runs the Harris campaign’s Arizona communications (she ran the Biden campaign’s Arizona communications from March until his announcement to drop out last month). Prior to posting up in Arizona, Corcoran was the communications director and spokesperson for Massachusetts’ Secretary of Education.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The proverbial smoke is clearing from the contentious 2024 Arizona Primary Election, which has become known for a battle for Congressional District 8. GOP strategist Barrett Marson called it, “one of the ugliest—if not the ugliest—primaries in the entire country,” speaking to Bloomberg News. Three of the four Northern Arizona seats: Districts 1,2, and 8 were the most noteworthy, with District 9 representing an uneventful primary, and a likely uneventful general election.
While the results are not finalized in many of the races according to state and county officials, the unofficial results stand thusly as of the evening of August 5, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
In the primary contest for U.S. House of Representatives District 1, incumbent Congressman David Schweikert handily defeated his opponent Kim George, 62.65%-27.52%, by a difference of 35,224 votes.
George publicly conceded after contacting Rep. Schweikert by phone Wednesday. In a post to X she wrote, “Just got off the phone with @repdavid Schweikert to congratulate him and offer my support in this critical race. We had a great conversation, and I told him I stand ready to do everything I can to help him keep this seat red. Control of the U.S. House may well run through AZCD1. All hands on deck!”
Schweikert will face off against Amish Shah who won the Democratic nomination in a narrow five-way contest by a mere 1,618 votes.
According to Cook Political, District 1 leans Republican R+2.
Incumbent Republican Congressman Eli Crane of District 2 defeated his primary challenger Jack Smith in a strong finish, 80.54%-19.46%, by a wide margin of 67,750 votes.
Crane reposted several reports of his victory via X Wednesday.
Smith has not posted or released any concession statement as of this report. Crane is expected to face off against Democrat Jonathan Nez who ran unopposed garnering 49,813 total votes.
According to Cook Political, District 2 is solidly Republican R+6.
The Republican Congressional Primary for District 8 is easily the most complex in the state. As of this report Abraham Hamadeh has the apparent lead over Blake Masters, 29.90%-25.75%, by a margin of 4,264.
Prominent figures Hamadeh and Masters were both endorsed by President Donald Trump via Truth Social on Saturday night with Trump writing:
“We have a very important Republican Primary Election on Tuesday for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, with two spectacular America First Candidates.
Blake Masters is a very successful businessman, and an incredibly strong supporter of our Movement to Make America Great Again – He is smart and tough! Likewise, Abe Hamadeh, a Veteran, former prosecutor, and fearless fighter for Election Integrity, has been with me all the way!
In Congress, we need a true Warrior who will work tirelessly with us to Grow our Economy, Stop Inflation, Secure our Border, End Migrant Crime, Support our Great Military/Vets, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment – They will both be spectacular, and I’m pleased to announce that both Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh have my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Congressman of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District — THEY WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!“
Other notable Arizona Republicans ran competitively including.
Arizona State Representative Ben Toma, who garnered 21.00% support and former Congressman Trent Franks, who took 16.29% of the vote.
Two additional candidates for the GOP ran as well, earning single digit percentages.
Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern earned just 4.80% of the primary vote. Republican Patrick Briody trailed the main pack with 2.28%.
According to Cook Political, District 8 is solidly Republican at R+10.
As of Wednesday morning, only State Sen. Kern and State Rep. Ben Toma have acknowledged defeat in the election in posts to X.
Kern wrote in part, “We worked hard; we prayed hard; we hoped hard! Sometimes we taste victory in different ways! It is exciting to see what our future holds! To everything there is a season and a reason!”
Toma posted, “The voters of Congressional District 8 made their choice clear last night as to who the Republican nominee will be in November. While I’m certainly disappointed in the outcome, I am forever grateful and humbled by the level of support shown from so many who opened their arms, their homes, and their wallets to support our campaign. It was an honor and a privilege to be endorsed and supported by so many great leaders of our state and to run a positive campaign centered on my record of accomplishments. I wish all the candidates who ran alongside me the very best.”
Republican Congressman Paul Gosar of District 9 ran unopposed in his primary.
Quacy Smith ran unopposed for the Democratic party and will face off against Gosar in November.
A federal appeals court’s decision to overturn an order from its own panel has Arizona conservatives outraged.
This week, a panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a recent opinion from another panel within the court that had allowed Arizona’s law on state voter registration proof of citizenship requirements to go into effect. This latest decision from the Ninth Circuit now vacates that order, allowing individuals to essentially register to vote with state or federal forms in Arizona without providing proof of citizenship.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, who was one of the intervenors in the case defending the law against its challengers, issued a statement in condemnation of the Ninth Circuit’s order. Petersen said, “This is just another example of why the radical Ninth Circuit is one of the most overturned circuits in the nation. They routinely engage in judicial warfare to carry out their extremist liberal agenda that’s contrary to the laws our citizens elected us to implement. We will seek assistance from the Supreme Court to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections. If this principle is not followed, democracy as we know it, and as our Founding Fathers intended, is in jeopardy.”
According to the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus, “This lawsuit stems from radical Left activists, some of which are from outside of Arizona, opposing two laws passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature back in 2022 restricting voters who don’t provide documentation confirming they are in fact legal citizens of the United States.”
Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, also weighed in on the decision from the Ninth Circuit panel, writing, “This opinion from two radical judges on the Ninth Circuit is a travesty of law and to the legal process, overturning a ruling issued just last week by the same court. We are hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly intervene and reverse this poorly reasoned decision on appeal.”
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club was extremely instrumental in the origination and passage of HB 2492, which is one of the state laws at the heart of the legal matter.
In this Ninth Circuit’s order, there was one judge who dissented from his other colleagues – Judge Patrick J. Bumatay. He wrote, “Motions for reconsideration of a motions panel’s order are not meant to be a second bite at the apple. On the contrary, they are highly irregular and strongly disfavored, primarily appropriate if there have been ‘[c]hanges in legal or factual circumstances’ since the motions panel addressed the issue.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
On Wednesday evening, Senator JD Vance, Vice Presidential nominee of the Republican Party, took to the stage at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona. While President Donald Trump was rallying the crowds in Pennsylvania for the first time since the attempt on his life in Butler, Vance was showing Arizonans that the Senator from Ohio and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” can play on the same field that once brought Barry Goldwater to national prominence.
Flanked on stage by notable conservative Congressmen Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, and Andy Biggs as well as GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake and Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk, Vance broke down the stakes for Arizona voters, describing the scenario of a Harris presidency.
“Let us count the ways in which Kamala Harris has screwed up this country over the last 3.5 years,“ Vance began according to CSPAN.
“Now, they’ll all lie to you about it, the media, but she was appointed the border czar and then unleashed the worst border crisis in the history of this country. On her watch, more than 10 million illegal aliens have invaded our country, and it wasn’t by accident. It was by design.”
“They said when they took office that they were going to do exactly what they did. They said they wanted to decriminalize illegal immigration and tear down Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Open up the floodgates and give illegal aliens free health care. And she wanted you the American citizens to pay the bill. That’s what she said.”
“And then, on her very first day in office, they went to work, but not for you. For them. They suspended deportations. They stopped building President Trump’s wall. They reinstated catch-and-release. And that’s how every state became a border state because they just released these people into our country. Then they fly in first class, give them first class hotel accommodations. You guys are paying for that too.”
Vance didn’t shy away from taking direct aim at Harris’ recent explosion onto the media scene either, and her stark departure from previous appearances as noted by President Trump when he spoke to the National Association of Black Journalists Conference in Chicago.
“So, you guys want to hear that truth about Kamala Harris? Kamala Harris is a phony who caters to whatever audience is in front of her. I don’t know if you saw this. But earlier this week, look up the clip, she went down to Georgia and started talking with a fake Southern accent. I’m serious. Now, what the hell was that all about? Kamala Harris grew up in Canada. They don’t talk like that in Vancouver or Quebec or wherever she came from.”
— News That Matters (@ThatmattersNews) July 31, 2024
“It doesn’t matter. It’s the same new liberal policies, but a different accent, whoever she’s talking to. Now on November 5th, she can go back to using her San Francisco accent because we are going to send her packing, and we’re going to elect Donald Trump President of the United States. “
Senator @JDVance: "She went down to Georgia and started talking with a fake, southern accent…Kamala Harris grew up in Canada! They don't like that in Vancouver or Quebec…on Nov 5 she can go back to her San Francisco accent because we are going to send her packing."🔥 pic.twitter.com/xQAnRAHkmq
Pointedly, Vance drew attention to Harris’ apparent complicity in deflecting concerns over the capacity of President Joe Biden to serve as well as criticizing the thoroughly non-democratic method of her nomination by DNC leaders without a primary vote.
“Now after they covered up for Joe Biden’s incompetence for 3.5 years. This is a scandal from both the Democrats and the media,” he began. “Now they’re gaslighting us about Kamala Harris’ radical record. The media likes to portray her, all of a sudden, she’s a sensible moderate. That’s what they say. Now, the same media that told us for 3.5 years, Joe Biden who couldn’t finish his sentence was Albert Einstein. Now they tell us Kamala Harris is Abraham Lincoln but anyone who is too blind to see Biden’s incompetence, or more likely too dishonest to admit it, is not fit to serve as our commander in chief.”
"…The media calls it a coronation; I think we ought to call it a coup! In America, we don't crown our leaders; we vote for them." – VP Nominee, @JDVance
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) July 31, 2024
Vance added, “The Democrat party bosses have decided to install Kamala Harris as their new nominee, but think about this, she has not received a single vote for President of the United States. Now, the media calls this a coronation. I think we’d call it a coup and in America we don’t crown our leaders. We vote for them.”
Vance also prefaced his planned trip to Arizona’s southern border and called Harris out on her radical leftist record and the failure of the Biden-Harris regime to rein in the out-of-control border with Mexico.
He told rallygoers, “Now I’m going to the border tomorrow and her record of disaster is clear. 500,000 kids have been trafficked by the Mexican drug cartels because of her policies, hundreds of thousands of our citizens are dead from fentanyl overdoses because of her policies, hardworking Americans cannot afford groceries because of her policies. Now, the media wants to call her a moderate. But here’s a fact check for the fake news. Kamala Harris was the most liberal senator in the entire United States Senate. She is a dangerous San Francisco liberal, and thanks to the people in this room, she is never going to be the President of the United States of America.”
