News

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne is urging the legislature to pass an emergency bill to ensure employees of the financially troubled Isaac Elementary School District get paid this week.

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says the U.S. Department of Education has released previously-reverted Covid relief funds earmarked for the Isaac Elementary School District, making approximately $6 million available to the financially-troubled district, though he cautions that Maricopa County and state lawmakers must continue to work on solving the district’s long-term financial issues. He adds the county should ensure these funds are disbursed as soon as possible since they were originally allocated to that district.

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has announced a new partnership with mental health care provider Cartwheel, to bring students and families in Arizona’s rural counties rapid access to mental health support using telehealth.

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction opened his 2025 State of Education speech praising the actions of a Tucson Police Officer who arrested an armed suspect making threats on a school campus last week. Horne said the incident proves the importance of having armed law enforcement officers on school grounds and he urges lawmakers to expand the program.

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne has announced that Arizona has received a $34.8 million federal grant to establish high-quality charter schools to serve educationally disadvantaged students throughout the state.

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has issued the following statement regarding today’s announced indictments of two people accused of fraudulent actions against the Empowerment Scholarship Account program.

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says the potential closure of the U.S. Department of Education (USDoE) would not mean a loss of federal education money for Arizona because that funding is attached to education laws, not the existence of an inefficient federal agency.

PHOENIX – Flanked by representatives from multiple state agencies and members of department’s task force who worked to procure lifesaving Narcan for Arizona schools, state Superintendent Tom Horne today announced more than 16,000 Narcan kits are now available for distribution to school campuses.

PHOENIX – The highly successful Achievement Tutoring Program initiated last year by Superintendent Tom Horne is being extended through the end of the 2024-25 school year, allowing more students to take advantage of this free program that has resulted in academic gains for students throughout Arizona.

PHOENIX - The Arizona Department of Education has launched its new innovative online certification system that increases efficiency and accessibility for educators seeking certification in the state.