AZ: Horne (R) cancels $70 million in COVID-19 funding to set up tutoring program
State schools chief Tom Horne is canceling millions of dollars in contracts funded by COVID-19 aid that his Democratic predecessor awarded to Arizona education programs in order to funnel the money into a new tutoring program for struggling students. But the tutoring will help only about 10% of the students who are falling behind academically.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona received three federally funded grants totaling more than $4 billion to bolster public schools and improve student outcomes. Former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman awarded money from the third grant package to organizations that, among others, support teacher training and the social and emotional health of students, a particular focus of her administration. Recipients included the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and Playworks Arizona, which serves low-income schools and teaches inclusivity and conflict resolution via play.
On Sept. 6, Horne, a Republican who has vowed to raise academic achievement, announced that his office has eliminated and reduced ESSER-funded contracts by as much as $70 million. Of that, $40 million will be earmarked for a new tutoring program aimed at students in first grade through eighth who failed to meet a proficiency benchmark on state assessments.
“We have to make up for the deficiencies of our predecessors and make sure that the students learn more and we have better academic progress,” Horne said at a Tuesday news conference.
https://www.azmirror.com/2023/09/06/horne-cancels-70-million-in-covid-19-funding-to-set-up-tutoring-program/
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