October 11, 2019

Arizona schools chief Kathy Hoffman on priorities for 2020

Hoffman also reflects on what she sees as her biggest accomplishment in office so far.

After her inauguration in January, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said she hit the ground running. A political newcomer and educator herself, Hoffman shared her priorities in 2020 and reflected on what she views as her biggest accomplishments so far.

“There’s many that I’m proud of, one I’d love to highlight is the focus on the social-emotional supports of our students, because far too many of our students have experienced some sort of trauma in their life and are coming to school dealing with mental health challenges,” Hoffman said. “But I would say as an accomplishment it feels like the stars are aligning. We’re getting lots of federal funding, state funding to support the social-emotional well-being of our students.”

Hoffman said during the next legislative session her office will advocate for more resources for special education.

“I think there’s actually a good amount of bipartisan support. There’s been a lot of working groups around how we can properly fund special education, and that’s an issue I’m very passionate about because we know that our students with disabilities are often some of our most disadvantaged,” Hoffman said.

Arizona 360
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