By Jeanne Beasley Elections have consequences. This week, Scottsdale families saw just how significant those consequences can be when the Governing Board voted 3-2 to close two more neighborhood schools. Copper Ridge and Laguna will join Pima and Echo Canyon as schools our community is losing. Four schools in less than a year. Behind every closure are students, teachers, families, … Read More
Vouchers Aren’t Going Anywhere. Scottsdale Unified Has to Compete or Keep Shrinking
by Ronald Sampson Scottsdale Unified’s governing board voted 3-2 Tuesday to close Copper Ridge K-8 and Laguna Prep. Roughly 900 students will change schools. It is the district’s second round of closures in as many years, after Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon shut down earlier this year. As we wrote just days before the vote, the district keeps losing families … Read More
Scottsdale Unified Keeps Losing Students, Then Asks Taxpayers for $375 Million
By Ronald Sampson Scottsdale Unified’s board votes Tuesday on closing more schools. Days earlier, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office found the district violated the open meeting law while drawing up the options. Four weeks later, voters will decide whether to hand the same district $375 million through a bond. A Decade of Losing The enrollment trend is not subtle. According … Read More
Apache Junction Figured It Out. Why Can’t Scottsdale Unified?
By Ronald Sampson Nobody expected Apache Junction to teach Scottsdale a lesson in public education yet here we are. While Scottsdale Unified debates which neighborhood schools to close, Apache Junction Unified has quietly done something clever: it stopped treating families who use Empowerment Scholarship Accounts as a lost cause. Instead, it started treating them as customers. What Apache Junction Built … Read More
Guest Editorial: How an Arizona Teacher Sparked My Entrepreneurial Journey
By Michelle Watson After attending a graduation ceremony recently, I found myself thinking not just about the graduates and their futures, but about the teachers who helped get them there. At a time when there is an ever-changing landscape in education that dominates the headlines, it’s worth remembering something simpler and far more personal: teachers change lives every single day … Read More
Scottsdale Community College Just Did Something Worth Celebrating: Tackling the Affordability Crisis
In a higher education landscape defined by soaring tuition bills and graduates drowning in debt, Scottsdale Community College made history this month. On May 14, SCC held its first-ever commencement ceremony conferring Bachelor of Business Administration degrees, graduating a pioneering cohort from a program that launched just one year ago. The ceremony took place at Salt River Fields at Talking … Read More
An AP&G Exclusive: Our Interview with East Valley Institute of Technology Superintendent Dr. Wilson
Dr. Wilson, thank you so much for your time. As the cost of traditional four-year colleges and cumulative student loan debt continues to balloon, non-traditional educational routes are becoming more and more salient, and none locally have the reputation and track record of the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT). You’ve led EVIT for over 7 years through significant changes … Read More
Where There’s Smoke: One Pervert at SUSD Ends Up Being Multiple. Is This a Real Problem?
In what now seems to be a recurring theme, Scottsdale Unified School District faces another troubling chapter in its ongoing struggles with employee misconduct. In just the past three months, three district employees have lost their positions over allegations of inappropriate behavior involving minors. This isn’t merely another bureaucratic misstep; it’s a pattern that demands serious attention from parents and … Read More
Chaparral’s Future Ready Conference Showcases Scottsdale Schools’ Commitment to Excellence
When 480 Career and Technical Education students gathered at Chaparral High School for the 2025 Future Ready Conference, they weren’t just attending another school event: they were experiencing the kind of transformative educational opportunity that defines excellence in Scottsdale Unified School District. The full-day conference, presented by SUSD’s CTE department in partnership with Scottsdale Rotary, brought students face-to-face with real-world … Read More
SUSD Assistant Principal Scandal: What Can You Do to Protect Your Children?
The resignation of Saguaro High School Athletic Director Lucas Ackerson following allegations of inappropriate messaging with a middle school student has sent shockwaves through the Scottsdale community. While Scottsdale police determined there wasn’t sufficient evidence for criminal charges, the incident represents a deeply troubling breach of trust that every parent must take seriously. The student’s father, speaking at the school board meeting, … Read More