Question of the Week: As the 2026-27 school year kicks off, what’s ahead for public education?

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It’s no secret that Arizona’s public school districts are challenged by funding, declining enrollment, competition from private and charter schools as well as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. How can public school districts remain sustainable? Should some consider unification or consolidation? How can teachers best be attracted and retained? Should schools within a district be retooled as specialty campuses, meaning a district’s schools are more different than they are alike? Should voters rein in ESAs in the November election?

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