The Pinal County School Superintendent’s Office was originally established in 1914 by the authority of the Arizona State Constitution. As an Educational Service Agency, there is a long history of providing assistance to the school districts in Pinal County. Our organization is committed to working cooperatively with agencies throughout the state in identifying and serving the educational needs in Pinal County.
We strive to accomplish this through leadership and partnering to offer a wide range of educator and student centered services. Today, the roles and responsibilities have changed significantly as society, educational requirements, and economics have changed. However, the ultimate goal of each service and program offered is to improve the quality of learning opportunities provided to over 51,000 students and 6,300 employees that attend or work at public school districts in Pinal County.
Published: Jun. 23, 2022 at 9:58 PM MST
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Lawmakers approved a nearly $18 billion budget in the early morning hours on Thursday to avoid a government shutdown. As part of that approved budget, more than half a billion dollars is going to school districts. “We just have a long way to go,” Save Our Schools Arizona director Beth Lewis said.
Lewis was hoping lawmakers would agree to over a billion dollars of ongoing funding for Arizona K-12 schools. So while Lewis is grateful for the $526 million approved by the Legislature for this year’s budget, it’s hard for her not to look at that number as a missed opportunity. “It’s enough to move us probably from last-funded in the nation to maybe 45th or 46th,” Lewis said.
Arizona Education Association president-elect Marisol Garcia says a lot of that money will go toward teacher salaries. There will also be an additional $100 million distributed to special education and $50 million to vulnerable and underserved communities. “A lot of our students really come to school needing more services and smaller class sizes,” Garcia said. “Additional staff, counselors, nurses, librarians, and other things that have been cut in the past.”
