$866 million in federal dollars at stake

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says he strongly disagrees with postponing the effort to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language from state teaching standards, saying the federal government may withhold an estimated $866 million, and this issue must be addressed immediately.  Following today’s board action, the matter will be placed on the December agenda.

Horne stated, “I respectfully but strongly disagree with the vote to postpone opening the rule-making process. The president issued an Executive Order requiring DEI language to be removed from programs funded by federal dollars. It made it abundantly clear that federal education funding is at risk if DEI language remains in education programs. Failure to comply with federal guidance may result in the loss of an estimated $866 million to Arizona schools. That is a major funding cut to our schools, and we need to begin dealing with this as soon as possible.”

He added, “Not only is the $866 million at risk, there is a philosophical issue at stake too. All people should be judged based on their character and ability, not their race or ethnicity. DEI language and programs promote the exact opposite, and they have no place in the classroom. The teaching standards, unfortunately, include DEI references, and they need to be removed.”

The teaching standards in question include references to teaching “equitably” and with a focus on “responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment.” They also refer to understanding the “social, emotional and cultural needs of students” in the classroom.

Horne added, “These terms do not belong in teaching standards. The standards are meant to direct educators on the most effective ways to teach students' core academics. Every instructional minute is precious, and DEI efforts distract from that essential mission.”
 

More than 170,000 Arizona students – 16 percent - using AI tutoring

(PHOENIX) - Arizona is first in the nation in the percentage of students using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, according to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. More than 170,000 Arizona students are now using AI-powered tutoring to enhance their academic performance. That figure represents 16 percent of all public school students, and it is expected to grow.

Horne said, “Having more than 170,000 students already signed up for tutoring through Khanmigo, the premier AI education system in the country, is a significant milestone for education in Arizona. Our state has the highest rate of usage by percentage of student population among all states. That is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Last year, Horne directed the Arizona Department of Education to invest $1.5 million to help schools access Khanmigo, an AI tutoring system designed to promote active learning.

He explained, “Khanmigo does not simply provide answers.  It engages students by asking questions that guide them to discover solutions on their own. This approach delivers rigorous, individualized Socratic-style tutoring — a proven method for improving academic outcomes.”

Horne also highlighted the Department’s efforts to support educators through the Arizona Digital Educators Library (ADEL), an online AI platform designed to assist teachers in creating lesson plans and developing classroom materials aligned with Arizona’s academic standards. ADEL has enrolled over 4,000 users, along with 50 ambassadors charged with extending the reach of the platform across Arizona.

Horne concluded, “I am a strong supporter of AI as a classroom tool to assist, but not replace, educators. So far, about 4,000 educators statewide are using this system, and I encourage more teachers to sign up. It is an invaluable resource that helps educators do their jobs more effectively.”

UA and ASU in talks

PHOENIX - State schools chief Tom Horne, who is also a member of the Arizona Board of Regents, says the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education is aligned with his philosophy of fighting against racial entitlements, and he is pleased that the University of Arizona and Arizona State University are in talks about implementing the agreement.

Horne stated, “Since I took on the Tucson Unified district in 2008 to end the racially divisive ‘Ethnic Studies’ program, I have been fighting against racial entitlements. People should be judged on their character and merit, not the color of their skin. The Trump administration’s federal compact for universities shares that same goal, and I am pleased that universities, including the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, are in discussions with the President on enshrining those principles in their schools. Reports that the U of A has rejected this compact are untrue.”

He explained, “The U of A president has sent a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon explicitly stating that the university shares the administration’s ‘vision of continuing to strengthen our higher education system for the betterment of the country – a vision rooted in a merit-based pursuit of excellence that directly or indirectly benefits all Americans.’ He has further stated, ‘We have much common ground with the ideas your administration is advancing on changes that would benefit American higher education and our nation at large,’ and ‘We welcome the opportunity to engage other universities, higher education associations, members of Congress, and your administration to advance and implement our principles in alignment with the national interest.’ Those statements clearly are not a rejection of the compact and I am confident that UA and ASU will consider these important principles in good faith.”

Points to latest Scottsdale district promotion of transgender agenda

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says promotion of woke ideology is a significant reason behind potential school closures in several school districts. He points to the latest effort by the Scottsdale Unified District to promote the transgender agenda among elementary and middle school students.

Horne said, “This happens because of the expenditure of a large amount of campaign funds to elect woke school board members who do not represent their communities. Parents have a choice, so they move their children. The school boards in these districts have no one to blame but themselves for allowing the classroom to be corrupted from a place of learning to a venue for indoctrination in woke principles. Districts can change this and renew their focus on the essential subjects of reading, math, science, history and the arts.”

He added, “The Scottsdale school district has yet again decided to push woke ideology on its students and their parents. The most recent example was discovered by a parent group that discovered the district is using its resources to promote ‘nonbinary youth, gender expansive’ children and girls to participate in a bicycling event; heterosexual males need not apply. This is a blatant effort to sexualize young children, which is an unconscionable and reckless use of taxpayer resources. It also normalizes the idea that biological boys are no different than girls. It is no wonder that parents are taking children out of Scottsdale schools and choosing education options that emphasize academics over the woke agenda.”

He concluded, “This scenario is playing out in other districts such as Kyrene Elementary, which has steadfastly refused to back away from such woke programs such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Social Emotional Learning that rob children of precious instructional time for academics. That district has lost so many students that schools have to be closed, as is true of the Paradise Valley district, which has also unfortunately embraced left-wing ideas at the expense of academics.”

Marks anniversary of 2023 attack on Israel

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says today’s anniversary of the horrific Hamas attack on Israel is a potent reminder of the continuing need for Holocaust instruction and he is praising Arizona’s law that requires such teaching.

Horne said, “Today marks two years since the cowardly attack on Israel in which approximately 1,200 people were murdered and many others who were raped, tortured and taken captive. This was followed by massive demonstrations all around the world… in favor of the attackers. If those demonstrators had had Holocaust study at school, they would not have been so quick to endorse Hamas’ murder, rape, and torture of innocent Jewish people. To date there are still 48 hostages – living and dead - that have not been released by Hamas, which perpetrated these attacks.”

He added, “My parents were Polish Jewish refugees from Hitler. My father predicted the Nazi invasion of Poland and urged his extended family and friends to also leave. But it is hard for people to leave their culture and language, and all of my extended family were eventually killed in the Holocaust. This is a stark reminder that we as a society must never forget such evil. That is why I will always remain committed to ensuring Arizona public schools implement Arizona law regarding instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides. Each district and charter is required to attest to their compliance on their State Report Card to ensure transparency on this important issue.”

The Arizona Department of Education provides resources, training, and support for educators in meeting the law requiring students to receive instruction in the Holocaust and other genocides at least once in middle school and once in high school through the Arizona Holocaust and Genocide Education Resource webpage .

This assistance is optional, but compliance with state statute is obligatory.

Effort helps school-based health workers address challenges

PHOENIX – Arizona schools now have more training options for helping school mental health professionals better identify, screen, and refer students who may be at risk for suicide, according to state schools chief Tom Horne. 

Horne said, “Across student age groups, suicide is one of the leading causes of death. It is imperative that our mental health professionals are provided with the latest information to help recognize, and the best practices to respond to, the warning signs that may help families avert these devastating tragedies.”

The Department of Education is in a multi-year partnership with The Jed Foundation (JED), a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide among teens and young adults nationwide. This initiative, which complies with state law (ARS 15-120) will equip school-based mental health professionals statewide with an evidence-informed suicide prevention training course.

Nearly 1 in 4 Arizona students seriously consider attempting suicide each year, and 10 percent make an attempt. ADE partnered with JED to develop a customized training initiative.

The two-hour course, Suicide Prevention for Arizona School Mental Health Professionals, will train participants to:

• Identify signs of self-injury and crisis, including signs of suicidal thoughts or intense emotional distress.
• Understand the role of suicide risk screening in a comprehensive prevention approach and learn how to administer screening tools.
• Take action when a student is in crisis by engaging the support team, ensuring immediate safety, and documenting and following school protocols (or helping to establish protocols, when needed).

“School-based mental health supports are critical to student well-being, stronger academic outcomes, and preparing young people for the workforce and future opportunities," said Dr. Tony Walker, senior vice president of school programs and consulting at JED. “We’re proud to partner with ADE and help to ensure Arizona's school-based mental health professionals are prepared and confident to identify warning signs, act quickly in a crisis, and connect students to the right support so they can thrive in school and in life.” 
 

Horne rebuts Treasurer’s denial

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne is rebutting a denial by Treasurer Kim Yee that her office was unaware of its duty to review and approve a cash advance for the Nadaburg Unified School District northwest of Phoenix.

Yee stated in a letter sent to Horne on Tuesday, Sept. 30, “…the press release suggests that ASTO was somehow unaware of its duty to review and approve the cash advance request under A.R.S. § 15-973(C). This is incorrect.”

However, Yee’s office sent this email to ADE on August 29:

    Message: Hello, my name is Nick Barnhiser and I am the Network

    Admin at the State Treasurer's Office. Our Treasurer, Kimberly

    Yee made us aware of some emails she is getting from a Ryan Young

    at the Department of Education via Adobe Sign asking her to sign

    a Cash Advance for the Nadaburg School District. This is not

    something the Treasurer nor our office handles and the message

    was forwarded to us as possibly fraudulent. Doing a quick search

    i was able to determine that Ryan Young does seem to be a staff

    member at the Dept of Ed so perhaps these are being sent by

    mistake? I was not able to obtain Ryan's contact information. If

    someone could look into this for us it would be appreciated. The

    emails have been hitting her inbox consistently for the past

    several days and we are hesitant to put any blocks in place for

    fear of interrupting potentially legitimate mail. If more

    information is needed please let us know. Thank you!

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2025 8:51 AM
To: Questions <[email protected]>
Subject: Form submission from: Communicate with ADE

==Contact Information==

    First Name: Nick

    Last Name: Barnhiser

    Email: [email protected]

    Phone Number: (602) 542-

    Organization: AZ State Treasury

Cites meaningful Dysart district efforts to combat issue

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says a new report issued by the Helios Foundation shows tough measures need to be taken to address catastrophic levels of chronic high school student absenteeism in Arizona. Chronic absenteeism is defined as nine absences in a semester or 18 absences in a year.

Horne notes the Dysart Unified district in the Phoenix area has been very effective in lowering the absence rate by taking tough measures that hold students and parents accountable.

Horne said, “The Helios Foundation found that grades 1-8 in Arizona have a chronic absentee rate of 28.1 percent, and grades 9-12 have rate of 37 percent.  This is catastrophic. We cannot teach students who are not in school. The high school student who misses more than one third of his classes is facing a bleak future.”

He added, “The best solution that we have found is the Dysart School District. Their chronic absenteeism for grades 1- 8 is 9 percent compared to 28.1 percent statewide. For grades 9-12, Dysart’s rate is 8.69 percent compared to Arizona‘s rate of 37percent. They got there because in grades 1-8 a student who is absent for 18 days in one year must repeat the grade. A high school student who misses nine days in a semester cannot get credit for the courses the student has been taking. The Dysart method is successful and makes sense. It is what schools mostly did in the past before our culture got so much more permissive. Academic loss is the price we have paid for that permissiveness. The result for some students has been catastrophic.”

He concluded, “The principal factor for students going to school daily is the parents. During Covid, some parents got used to students missing school as not that big a deal, as it was before Covid. As a former member of a school board for 24 years, I can testify that it is very important to parents that their children graduate on time. Once parents know that chronic absenteeism can interfere with timely graduation, they become highly motivated to be sure their children get to school daily. The data show the Dysart method is the most effective way to reduce chronic absenteeism.”

ADE Finance staff determined the advance is proper and needed

PHOENIX – State schools superintendent Tom Horne is calling on State Treasurer Kim Yee to reconsider her denial of a justified cash advance to the Nadaburg school district, calling her current actions irresponsible.

Horne stated: “Our Finance Division did its research and determined that Nadaburg is operating within its budget, and by the end of the year they will have a projected positive cash balance of $1.3 million. Initially it was thought that they would have a negative cash balance at the end of the year, but the Department of Education, being a service institution, checked the forms and found the district made an unintentional clerical error that they can correct. In the meantime, the cash advance will ensure uninterrupted district operations through October while the error is being reconciled. If the Treasurer does not change her mind, the irresponsible failure to advance the funds will have a negative impact on the education of nearly 1,500 students. This should be our first priority.”

He added, “The Treasurer could have done the same review because she has the necessary forms, which were provided to her by our office, and her office failed to follow up with us to determine why we approved the advance. The advance request was sent to the State Treasurer on August 22, 2025, over a month ago. At first, she denied that she had a role to play. We cited to her the relevant statute (A.R.S. 15-973(C)) showing that her approval was needed. The Treasurer reviewed the request multiple times between August 22 and September 5 but did nothing. Finally, she issued a denial on September 24, claiming the possibility of ‘financial mismanagement’ for which there was no evidence. I therefore call her to change your position and approve this proper cash advance.”

District cash advances are common because a school district’s income and expenses may fluctuate. As long as the district’s cash position is positive by the end of the year, and the funds will be paid back, cash advances are allowable.

The Nadaburg district is located northwest of Phoenix near Wittman.

Some schools score higher than state average

PHOENIX – Native American students statewide are seeing remarkable improvement in Reading and Math proficiency with the implementation of school improvement strategies, according to state schools chief Tom Horne. In the Chinle district, some schools are scoring higher than the state average.

Horne said, “When I took office in January 2023, I was informed that the average proficiency rate for Native American students was five percent. This was very upsetting to me, as it would affect the students’ employment prospects and quality of life.  I said that we would change everything we were doing in that respect and give total focus to increasing proficiency rates among Native American students. I met with tribal leaders who were shocked to learn about the five percent number and agreed with me that action had to be taken.”

He added, “The Offices of Indian Education and School Improvement have worked together to help improve outcomes for students – providing training, visiting schools, supporting teachers, principals, and superintendents, and working tirelessly to help schools and students succeed. With outstanding leadership from leaders of Native American districts, and our help, the proficiency rates of Native American students have soared.”

The Chinle Unified District shows the greatest gains as three of the district’s schools scored above the state average in both Math and English. Scores increased from just over 20 percent proficiency in 2023 to 34 percent districtwide. The district’s Many Farms school reached an incredible 45 percent rate. Growth in Math proficiency was similar.

Other districts have experienced double the number of students testing proficient in Math and English. The Ganado Unified School District saw a 159 percent increase. Growth at Red Mesa Unified District was 149 percent.  Baboquivari Unified went up 197 percent, and Kayenta Unified School District went up 122 percent. The Sacaton Elementary District jumped 124 percent, and Tuba City Unified School District increased 113 percent.

Chinle Superintendent Quincy Natay said, “We are extremely proud of the progress our students and teachers have made. These gains are a direct result of our governing board’s support of our vision and strategic plan, dedication of our educators, the support of our parents and communities, and the hard work of our students. We remain committed to building on this momentum and ensuring that all our students, across every grade level, have the opportunities and education to improve their quality of life.”