In a news release from the Office of Governor Ducey on Aug. 17, 2021, Governor Ducey announced that he would be re-allocating federal grants for schools following all state laws regarding mask and vaccination guidelines. $163 million dollars will be dispersed through the Education Plus Up Grant program to both public and charter schools.
Ducey noted that this funding will help to increase per-pupil spending in K-12 schools throughout the state. The governor further elaborated that his decision was made with the best interest of Arizona students in mind, emphasizing his anti- mask mandate stance.
“Safety measures are welcomed and encouraged– mandates that place more stress on students and parents aren’t,” Ducey stated in the press release.
David Boyles, an advocate for education in Arizona and an English professor at Arizona State University commented on Ducey’s actions, as well as the reactions that could occur in the Phoenix area.
He described the governor’s behavior as a way, “to push this private agenda and dismantle public education, that’s been the goal from day one.”
He went on to explain his own personal experience of observing parents he knows that have actively supported public schools but have since transferred their children to private or charter schools due to the lack of funding in the past.
Kathy Hoffman, Arizona’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the Education Plus Up Grant.
On Aug. 13, 2021, Hoffman tweeted, “In order to keep our students safe and in school, our districts need to have the ability to implement mask or vaccine requirements without fear of retaliation from our government.”
The funding for the Education Plus Up Grant was derived from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan with the aim of assisting recovery for those still struggling to overcome the repercussions that came with the pandemic.
On Jan. 20, 2021, this plan was released on the official White House website in the Briefing Room section. A key aspect of the plan was to be able to safely reopen schools. This raises the question of whether or not Arizona is appropriately allotting this funding to the correct sectors within the education field.
The superintendent herself sent out a variety of tweets regarding the health of students in schools, emphasizing that stricter measures for COVID safety should be applied.
Governor Ducey, who is a supporter of getting Arizonans vaccinated, responded by referring to the COVID vaccine as the “solution” to stop the spread, according to the Arizona Capitol Times.
Hoffman critiqued the governor on this perspective in a statement released on Aug. 17, 2021, saying simply, “no child under the age of 12 is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Overall, the Education Plus Up Grant has been a topic of controversy for some time now. It is still unclear whether or not this grant allocation will have a significant impact on the downtown Phoenix community’s response to COVID regulations in districts. The law prohibiting mask mandates that has spurred this controversy is set to go into effect on Sept. 29, 2021.
Contact the reporter at agbeck1@asu.edu.
