How Arizona schools handled the past year

It is the end of the school year, and many are wondering what next fall will look like! We talked with Kathy Hoffman, the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. We look at what it will look like for schools in the Fall with masks and the vaccination of children.

Since kids have come back, what are educators seeing in terms of learning, will remote learning be an option in the Fall? We also look at some bills and how they affect the education system.

We talked about what they learned this school year. She said they transitioned to remote learning, and the most surprising thing they learned was how behind Arizona Schools are as far as technology and internet access.

They have worked to fix this and learned a lot of lessons. They have been partnering with companies and universities to help. She said they are moving in the right direction, but this was still a big lesson learned.

We discussed if hybrid teaching will be a possibility for next year. She said all students and how they learn are so different. Some charter schools are making it optional and possible for people to learn comfortably.

We looked at Proposition 208 and how the budget addresses the education system. We asked if it addresses the education concerns enough. She said no, and she is very concerned about the flat tax proposal. She said it would cut the state revenue and make it hard to fund the public schools. Arizona is amongst the worst when it comes to teacher pay.

She said she is worried that this could really hurt Arizona when they are already hurting. She finds the deficits to be really “embarrassing”. She said. We also talked about a bill that bans racist, sexist, and politicized material. We asked what she thinks of the bill.

She said this is a controversy that has been created by politicians. She said if parents are worried then they should talk to the teacher and learn about their curriculum. She said how can Arizona have a solid education system when we don’t create a space for civil discourse.