The Protect Education campaign has raised $4.6 million so far in an effort to put private school voucher reforms on Arizona ballots this November. About $4.5 million of that has come from the National Education Association, the largest teacher’s union backing the reforms.
Roughly $29,000 has been donated by individual contributors to the campaign from people across Arizona — including in Tucson — and a handful out of state. Jim Byrne with the Tucson Education Association said the local union chapter has collected hundreds of signatures for the campaign and that lots of people are “easily signing.”
The Protect Education Act seeks to recover millions in unspent voucher funds and would put a $150,000 income cap on voucher eligibility. Currently, more than 100,000 students use Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (or ESA), and another 1,000 new students are enrolled to use the program next school year.
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Arizona State University is partnering with local school districts on a new fruit and vegetable study. They want to figure out how schools can work with grocery stores to encourage kids and families to eat more of those foods. -
The Arizona Healthy Schools Act recently took effect as the new school year got underway. Several districts said they started planning for the change last year. -
The U.S. Education Department has sent a public letter to colleges and universities across the country, asking a series of questions. -
The law, which passed last year, is now in effect as schools start back up this month. The list of banned additives includes colored food dyes and potassium bromide, which are linked to negative health outcomes, including stomach issues and some cancers. -
The Scottsdale Unified School District is considering whether to close more of its campuses. A public hearing has been set for Sept. 22.
