At the Isaac School District in Phoenix, teachers are weighing their options as they work without pay.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Board of Education put the district under receivership because it faces a budget shortfall of several million dollars.
The district includes 12 schools and serves nearly 5,000 students.
On Tuesday, lawmakers advanced an emergency bill that would keep the district going for two weeks, while lawmakers work on a more permanent solution, since the district is $28.5 million in debt.

“Our guarantee is that we’re going to keep the Isaac Elementary School District open, and we want to get them paid as quickly as possible,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix), said.
His legislation would give the district $2.5 million, which would keep it running for two weeks. It would also get rid of superintendents and school board members of districts that go into receivership.
Gress said that Republican Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs is working on having replacements for the school board members ready “as soon as the bill is signed into law.”
At the earliest, teachers will get checks on Thursday or Friday. That means they’ll choose whether or not to work in the meantime.
He added that the bill should be voted on by the entire House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The earliest it could get to the governor’s desk to be signed into law would be either later on Wednesday or early Thursday.
The Isaac School District Governing Board did not respond to a request for comment.
The Arizona Association of County School Superintendents opposes the bill because it allows elected officials to “fire” other elected officials.
The district superintendent, Mario Venture, has already resigned because of this crisis.
Gress’s bill advanced at the Capitol on Tuesday with unanimous bipartisan support.
Still, Democrats said they’d like to give the district a permanent solution now, to ensure the district won’t be facing the same fears in two weeks.
“It’s disappointing to have to vote this way when you know deep down in your heart that this is not enough,” Rep. Anna Abeytia (D-Phoenix) told her colleagues.
Arizona Education Association President and Isaac teacher Marisol Garcia said teachers are meeting to discuss how long they can work without pay.
Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Tuesday that her office will investigate what happened to the school district’s finances.
Republicans have criticized Mayes for not investigating the situation before now. Gress said the issue should go to court.
“In the coming months, there should be a close autopsy of what has happened,” Gress said. “There were early warning signs. … They were all ignored.”
The district falsified financial records to show a positive cash balance and disguise serious debt.
Many people are also pointing the finger at Maricopa County Treasurer John Allen, who said he can’t keep paying the district’s bills. Due to the debt, Allen said that any money the county gets needs to go toward paying that debt down.
The district also reverted about $9 million of COVID-19 relief funds to the federal government, which has agreed to give $6 million back — but that money won’t be available straightaway.
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