Isaac district update: Horne calls on legislature to pass emergency bill requiring Maricopa County to pass through dollars for payroll

For immediate release: January 27, 2025
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Isaac district update: Horne calls on legislature to pass emergency bill requiring Maricopa County to pass through dollars for payroll

Remarks made at end of State Board meeting today

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.

Horne made an updated statement to the State Board of Education regarding the release of approximately $6 million in previously reverted Covid relief funds earmarked for the district.

As part of his update Horne noted that since the federal funds were just released today and must be processed, it is not sufficient time to process for tomorrow’s district payroll. In any case, the County has so far declined to commit to making payroll payments. Horne is urging state lawmakers to act immediately to pass emergency legislation to instruct the County to use advanced payments of basic state aid for payroll purposes.

Horne stated, “The release of the federal dollars won’t come in time to make tomorrow’s payroll, but the legislature is meeting to come up with an emergency bill. That bill would instruct the County to advance basic state aid funds and use them for salaries. The County has indicated they will use any funds to pay off debts and not for salaries, which means the whole district would collapse and 5,000 students would not get the education to which they are entitled. If the legislature orders the County to pay salaries, they will have to. If that does pass on an emergency basis, we will immediately send an advance on our basic state aid to the County to pay payroll.”

He added, “In the long run, the situation is good because they have a lot of property and buildings that they can sell, so we just need to get through this emergency. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the legislation would pass, and the Governor will sign it today.”

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