AZEdNews

A major migration of students from rural Arizona to more metropolitan areas of the state, coupled with a new funding policy passed in 2015, has led to the loss of millions of dollars in funding this year to districts that once served those students. The immediate loss is intensifying the education challenges that a new report shows already hit harder in rural school districts than in their city cousins. Listen to what Dr. Anabel Aportela with the Arizona Association of School Business Officials has to say about the effects of these forces.

What is being done at schools and the legislature to connect people with mental health and suicide prevention resources? Listen in with Denise Schatt-Denslow and Ben Denslow, founders of the JEM Foundation, and Carly Fleege, public affairs associate with Hamilton Consulting as we discuss why access to mental health services and suicide prevention resources are so important.

What would it take to increase Arizona teachers’ salaries? Listen in with Dr. Anabel Aportela, director of research with Arizona Association of School Board Officials and Arizona School Boards Association, Dr. Chuck Essigs, director of governmental relations with Arizona Association of School Board Officials and Chris Kotterman, director of governmental relations for Arizona School Boards Association as we discuss how the #RedForEd movement, which is going strong in Arizona, has affected perceptions on education funding at the Arizona Legislature and in the community and what that might mean for teacher pay over the next several years.

Meet our host for the AZEdNews podcast, Lisa Irish. Lisa covers education issues as a reporter for AZEdNews. Before this, Lisa showed reporters how to use information from government databases in their stories, wrote stock market roundups for The Wall Street Journal Online, updated AZCentral’s news each night, built up KTAR’s web presence, and briefly taught science to 7^th graders before returning to reporting at The Daily Courier in Prescott. Education issues hit close to home for Lisa, who is a daughter of a teacher, is married to a teacher and is a mother of three – with one child in elementary school, another in high school and the oldest in college. Join her for our first season filled with conversation about what’s going on in education in Arizona.