AZ education chief gives ultimatum to Kyrene School District amid DEI spat: Here's what to know
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is threatening Kyrene School District with loss of funding.
The spat is over a reference to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in district policies.
Kyrene has been given an April 24 deadline to remove the DEI language.
PHOENIX - The Kyrene School District, which serves students in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix and parts of Tempe and Chandler, has a week and a half to get rid of any reference to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in its policies, according to Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, or it will lose more than $1.5 million in funding.
"If they don't sign an attestation that they don't use DEI, they will lose their federal funding," said Horne.
Here's what to know.
As mentioned above, the dispute over funding has to do with Kyrene's DEI policy.
The backstory
In April, the district's governing board approved a policy that includes a commitment to DEI.
"The Kyrene Promise pledges 'to provide welcoming, inclusive learning environments in which every student is honored, valued, and feels a strong sense of belonging and purpose.' We stand behind that commitment," read a statement district superintendent Laura Toenjes gave us previously. "All Kyrene policies, including policies around inclusion and social-emotional wellness, are in compliance with state and federal law, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. I encourage anyone with questions to read the language in Kyrene's policies, some of it pulled directly from Title VI."
The other side
The board made the decision after the Trump Administration told schools to drop it, or risk forfeiting federal funding. Horne eventually got wind of what the governing board did, and issued the ultimatum.
Horne said it's not about compliance. He said the matter is philosophical. He said stressing an emphasis on racial entitlements over merit breeds mediocrity.
"I'm glad that the Federal government is helping us now, to get us back on track, and treat people as individuals and concern ourselves their academic progress and their character, and not what race their in," said Horne.
Amid a spat over the matter, Kyrene's governing board president spoke out on the policy they approved.
What Kevin Walsh said
"There's a lot of misconception about what diversity, equity and inclusion looks like, and what that work is in schools," said Walsh. "I invite anyone to look at our policy. Look at the actual policy in Kyrene. Look at our practices. It's not about quotas. It's not about discriminatory practices. It's about including everyone, all students."
Why you should care
Kyrene has four Title I schools, which rely on that money to provide education to low-income students. The district has high concentrations of low-income students, many of which are minorities.
"We know that that is something that the president is focused on, and we firmly believe that we are compliant with all laws. We are not engaging in any discriminatory practices whatsoever," said Walsh.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has issued a statement that is critical of Horne.
What AG Mayes Wrote
"Last week, Superintendent Horne threatened to withhold more than $1.5 million in federal funding from the Kyrene School District—not because the district broke any laws, but because it proposed a policy that signaled the Districts' commitment to creating a kind, empathetic and respectful workplace.
Superintendent Horne cited no legal basis for his threat— because, in fact, there is none.
The funding he's threatening to block supports low-income students, teacher training, and other classroom programs. Rather than do his job and ensure that funds appropriated by Congress and the Legislature reach Arizona schools—as the law requires—Superintendent Horne is choosing to engage in ideological nonsense at the expense of students and teachers.
Arizona schools should, as always, follow all applicable state and federal laws. But they should feel free to ignore baseless, politicized threats from the State Superintendent's office, which has no legitimate role whatsoever in blocking the distribution of these federal funds."
What's next
The state's education department has given Kyrene's governing board until April 24 to comply.
Horne said he has hired an investigator who will report back to him what they decide to do.
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