Arizona Department of Education announces additional $16 million in federal relief and recovery allocations

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman and the Arizona Department of Education on Tuesday, May 11, announced the distribution of over $16 million to support Arizona’s public schools, educators, leaders, and families through strategic partnerships and initiatives.

These allocations, combined with previous announcements, total over $116 million in support of Arizona’s students and public schools.

“The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed many long-standing inequities impacting Arizona students and families,” said Superintendent Hoffman. “Through these partnerships and investments, the Department can, and should maximize the impact of these one-time federal dollars and ensure long-term recovery support for our public schools and the students they serve.”

The following are ADE Discretionary Fund Investments to date:

Student Equity & Achievement

NEW: $9.6 million – Partnership with ASU Prep Digital: Math Momentum

NEW: $1 million – Parent Educator Academy: All in Education

NEW: $500k – Special Education Cost Study

NEW: $100k – Opportunities for Youth

NEW: $500k – Holistic Youth Transformation Program: New Pathways for Youth

NEW: $300k – Time is Now Youth Mentorship: Big Brothers, Big Sisters

$5 million – Special Education Compensatory Services Fund

$1 million – Funding for Arizona’s Office of Indian Education

Educator Recruitment & Retention

NEW: $1 million – Diné Institute Teacher Fellows: Northern Arizona University

NEW: Additional $300k – Partnership with University of Arizona’s Center for Recruitment & Retention of Math Educators for Professional Development, for a total of $500k

$2.5 million – Partnership with ASU Prep Digital: Arizona Virtual Teacher Institute

$2.5 million – Partnership with Arizona K-12 Center: New Teacher Mentoring

Safe & Healthy Schools

NEW: Additional $100k – Social Emotional Learning: Trauma-Sensitive Training and Support for Schools, for a total of $470k

$21.3 Million – Addition of 140 School Counselor & Social Worker Positions through the School Safety Grant Program

Serving Arizona Schools Through the Pandemic and Beyond

NEW: $853k – Laptop and Hotspot Partnership with City of Phoenix

$2.3 Million – Support for Community Based Organizations, YMCA and Boys & Girls Club

$1.5 Million – Expanding Rural Broadband with the Final Mile Project

$15k – Kajeet Hotspots for Students & Families

Post-Secondary Access & Attainment

NEW: $600k – Partnership with AdviseAZ Americorps: College and Career Counseling