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This Week
COVID’s gone but schools’ relief bucks aren’t BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
C NEWS .............................. 3 EV lawmaker pushes for more teen mental health help.
OVID-19 may be little more than a memory for most people, but millions in pandemic relief funds that school districts and charters in Ahwatukee and throughout the state received directly or indirectly from the federal government are very much a part of the present, according to a new report by the Arizona Au-
ditor General. “Districts and charters reported spending just over $2.2 billion, or 48 percent, of their nearly $4.6 billion allocated relief monies through June 30, 2022,” the report states, adding the state Department of Education “had yet to spend/distribute almost $322 million, or 79 percent, of its discretionary relief monies as of June 30, 2022.” For the two school districts serving Ahwatukee, the pool of unspent money trans-
Sobering possibilities temper city’s ‘good news’ on budget BUSINESS .................... 30 New area business helps students enhance STEM knowledge
SPORTS......................... 38 Spring Training season has arrived COMMUNITY ............................. 24 BUSINESS ..................................... 30 OPINION ..................................... 34 SPORTS ........................................ 38 GETOUT ...................................... 41 CLASSIFIEDS ............................... 46
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023
lates into a combined $25.5 million, the report shows. It says: • Tempe Union High School has received just under $22.2 million in COVID relief and still has $12.3 million to spend, mostly by Sept. 30, 2024. • Kyrene has yet to spend $13.2 million of the $27.7 million it received. • BASIS Ahwatukee has spent only about see
COVID page 14
Graceful steps
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
I
n a cautiously optimistic report released last week, the City of Phoenix administration says it expects to start the new fiscal year beginning July 1 with a $134 million surplus and total spending for the new fiscal year to rise to $1.88 billion from a current $1.78 billion. As it prepares for the trial budget submission to City Council on March 26, the City Manager’s Office also warned “significant economic uncertainty and volatility exists for 2023, which makes forecasting revenues very challenging.” The City Manager’s forecast for the coming fiscal year also includes an equally cautious General Fund five-year outlook. Some of the revenue volatility cited in the 2023-24 forecast relates to a bill that state Republicans lawmakers passed to eliminate municipal rental taxes and another cutting corporate taxes. A legislative analysis says eliminating the rent tax would cost the city $70.5 million in revenue and that the corporate see
BUDGET page 19
Mountain Pointe senior Charlotte Morrison joined other girls from Tempe Union High School District, Chandler, Tolleson and some surrounding middle schools in a special combine at Mountain Pointe that put them through drills in front of college flag football coaches. Charlotte grew up around football but only recently gravitated toward flag after cheering and playing soccer for the Pride. She received an offer from Kansas Wesleyan alongside a couple of teammates after the event. See story on page 38. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)
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