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This Week
Kyrene faces 66% cut in spending power BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
BUSINESS ................... 30 Ahwatukee woman makes, sells her own earth-friendly scents.
www.ahwatukee.com
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
K
yrene School District stands to lose 66% of its spending power in the last three months of the current school year if the state Legislature doesn’t waive the Aggregate Expenditure Limit by April 1. Chief Financial Officer Chriss Hermmann told the Kyrene Governing that not being able to spend $20.5 million next spring even though the district has the money would create a major hardship. He said he still hopes that Gov. Doug Ducey
will call a special session of the Legislature this year – though that is unlikely to occur. And prospects for quick action next year – or any action at all – are equally dim as both Republican-dominated chambers will be led by men who opposed a 2022-23 waiver. The spending limit also will prevent Tempe Union and most other districts from spending money they have as they are forced to hold total expenditures to levels determined by a formula set by voters in 1980. Hermann said the statewide average of money that districts would be unable to
spend is about 17.5% – or $1.4 billion. And bearing the brunt of that spending freeze will be employees – mainly teachers, administrators and support personnel. “It’s impossible to make budget reductions of this size without talking about impacting those areas,” Hermann said, noting the freeze also would crimp the district’s ability to offer teacher contracts for the 2023-24 school year. Ducey’s press secretary has indicated his
see KYRENE page 4
St. John Bosco gets high marks from evaluators
SPORTS ......................... 32 Mountain Pointe’s 2022 title bid crashed and burned in loss.
GETOUT.......................... 36 Ahwatukee singer and her band plan special concert Friday.
COMMUNITY...................... 22 BUSINESS .......................... 30 SPORTS ............................... 32 GETOUT...............................36 CLASSIFIEDS ...................... 38
BESTOF
2021
40 Years Serving the Central Valley
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
W
hen the state Legislature earlier this year expanded Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, parents and staff at St. John Bosco Catholic School had reason to celebrate. Almost half the households that send a total 350 children to the Ahwatukee PreK-8 school applied for the so-called private school vouchers, easing their cost of tuition that can run as high as $6,523 for one Catholic student and $9,086 for a non-Catholic child. “I would definitely invite any family who has wanted to send their child to a Catholic school but wasn’t sure how they were go-
see BOSCO page 12
St. John Bosco Principal Jamie Bescak looks to 19 student ambassadors for help in telling parents and others about their school. This year’s crop includes, form left: top row: Carter Acosta, Viana Vazquez, Dean Snow, Olivia Vaughan, Oliver Grandmont, Ashton Ries, Alfred Kattan, Agnes Pezzuto, Gracelyn McAlevey, and Jenna Hansen. Front: Autumn Iniguez, Shelby Savoy, Elle Bescak, Sydney Root, Isabella Mangipane, Celine Salloum, Scarlett Flanders and Jamison Forde. (Courtesy St. John Bosco)
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