The Arizona State Board of Education is set to meet Monday to discuss potentially removing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language from the state's teaching standards, a move that could affect millions in federal education funding.
State Schools Superintendent Tom Horne is pushing for changes to comply with President Trump's executive order on DEI. In a letter, Horne takes issue with language like teaching "equitably" and with a focus on "responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and different perspectives."
A majority of the board previously voted to table the discussion until December, saying they want more clarity before making a decision. Horne has warned that if the board doesn't start the process, Arizona could lose millions of dollars in federal education funding.
"I'm on record in perpetuity of doing whatever I could to be sure we avoid an $800 million cut to our students," Horne said.
The Arizona Education Association has pushed back against the proposed changes. In a letter ahead of the meeting, the organization urged the board to maintain existing standards.
"We urge SBE to maintain existing teaching and curriculum standards that acknowledge how every child — regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or other characteristics — brings life experiences to the classroom that affect their style of learning," said Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association.
Arizona's teaching standards have not been updated since 2011. The meeting is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Dec. 8.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
