FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
ShannonSowbyPR@gmail.com, 602.615.6235
Diana Figueroa, dfigueroa@educationforwardarizona.org, 602.206.8572
Feb. 13, 2025 | Arizona has deprioritized education funding through a series of choices by elected leaders over the past two decades. Today, Arizona is more reliant on federal funding than most other states. Arizona’s public schools receive about $2,090 per pupil in federal funding, which represents approximately 20% of the state’s total K-12 education funding. Arizona ranks among the top five states with the highest percentage of school revenues derived from federal funding.
Closing the U.S. Department of Education without continuing funding will cause an economic and educational disaster for Arizona. It will upend our entire education system, particularly our public elementary and high schools, which supply our state with a skilled workforce. Any cuts will be devastating for schools across the state, especially rural Arizona communities, which are increasingly sustained by federal funding.
Arizona’s lack of investment has also made students and their families overly reliant on federal student aid funds like Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, and Federal Student Loans to pay for education and training after high school – making them highly susceptible to any interruption of the Federal student aid system. Therefore, any disruption to the FAFSA form, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education, will create chaos for students and families relying on it – preventing thousands from starting and completing programs that will prepare them to succeed in a high-skilled workforce. Already, $50 million in promised grants– including $1 million or more slated for Arizona to assist students in filling out the FAFSA have not arrived, leading to increased concerns that very real disruptions are coming.
Arizona has everything to gain—billions in economic growth, stronger communities, and a more skilled workforce—when every student regardless of their zip code has access to a high quality education and they have the support needed to continue their education beyond high school. Research conducted by Helios Education Foundation and Education Forward Arizona shows that increasing higher education enrollment by just 20% per cohort could add more than $5 billion to Arizona’s economy each year. That’s why the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education without a viable and immediate alternative will cost billions today and in the future.
Education Forward Arizona CEO and President Rich Nickel is available for interview or comment. Please contact Shannon Sowby to schedule at ShannonSowbyPR@gmail.com.
Learn more: www.EverythingtoGain.org.
About Education Forward Arizona
Education Forward Arizona is a statewide education advocacy organization dedicated to championing education as the key driver to improving Arizona’s economy and quality of life. Education Forward Arizona serves as the leading voice for promoting the state’s Achieve60AZ education attainment goal and a shared action plan to move the goals of the Arizona Education Progress Meter forward. The organization’s work also includes mobilizing people and communities to advocate for policies and funding to improve educational outcomes across the Pre-K to postsecondary continuum, as well as providing scholarships and programs that improve postsecondary attainment for Arizona’s diverse student population. Learn more at EducationForwardArizona.org.
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