The nation’s high court cleared the way this week for the Trump administration to move forward with mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education and a plan to outsource its work to other federal agencies.
Arizona schools chief Tom Horne says he welcomes the opportunity for the state to take on more responsibility.
"I feel like I can do a much better job than a federal department of education, and I have 600 people working for me who know Arizona schools backwards and forwards. Many of them have been doing it for many years," Horne said.
The Trump administration is looking to cut 1,400 jobs from the education department. Horne suggested that those affected by the layoffs are well positioned to help fill the ongoing K-12 teacher shortage.
How federal cuts impact Arizona
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Under the proposed changes, there’d be a cap on how much money Head Start centers could spend on administrative overhead; there would also be a reduction in the number of regulations governing the program, among other changes. -
Right now, nearly Arizona 300 schools qualify for a federal program that allows schools that serve low income households to give free lunches to every student — without making them apply for it. -
It's also unclear how many have lost coverage because some state agencies that run the programs are overwhelmed trying to keep up with changes. That was the case in Arizona, which saw the nation's largest enrollment drop. -
Nearly 1,800 formerly homeless Arizonans could be at risk of losing shelter as the Trump administration seeks a major overhaul of federal funding for homelessness programs. -
FEMA has awarded about $700,000 to Arizona and the Havasupai Tribe to fund hazard mitigation projects. The money came from a program the federal agency had nixed but was reinstated by the courts earlier this year.
