County school superintendent seeks $314,000 above‑base for detention education supports after state redirected a pilot grant

Maricopa County School Superintendent (office) staff asked the Board of Supervisors for above‑base funding to stabilize detention‑education services and support programs for students served in county‑run detention education and the Hope Academy accommodation school.

Superintendent Boggs and deputy staff described the county’s two primary funds that support the superintendent’s work: a general fund and a juvenile detention education fund (Fund 255), plus several special revenue funds that support small‑district services, grants and a school finance consortium. They said detention education is a statutory duty and that the county’s regional school district provides the classroom instruction for students in detention.

Key details from the presentation: - Detention education enrollment: presenters said current in‑custody enrollment is about 170 students (the program’s capacity is 190). The average age is about 16 and the average stay is four to five weeks. Last year detention education awarded 14 diplomas and about 878 academic credits, according to presenters. - Hope Academy: the accommodation school’s in‑person enrollment was reported as 58 students; presenters said senior graduating projections include about 17 students (16 seniors and one junior with enough credits). Presenters described the school as serving students who require an alternate placement and noted prior transitions and closure of Esperanza (a K‑8 site) and other facility changes.

Funding and program gap: staff said a new partnership with Arizona State University that expanded college‑level opportunities for detained students had been funded in FY24 by funds that are no longer available to the county school entities in FY25. The Arizona Department of Education redirected the prior sources to boundaried school districts, leaving a funding gap. Presenters estimated that the Department of Education’s redirection removed roughly $300k‑$500k annually from the regional school district’s prior allocations; for FY25 the office used about $50,000 to keep the ASU pilot running but said ongoing funding is not assured.

Above‑base requests: the school superintendent’s office requested $314,000 in above‑base funding, approximately $244,000 in personnel and program expenses plus about $70,000 in contingency. The largest single item is funding to make the detention‑education supervisor position’s costs durable and to provide travel/mileage, supplies and professional development for three transition‑specialist FTE that support students moving between detention and home schools.

Supervisors pressed for clarity on what Hope Academy serves and how its students are placed. Presenters said Hope Academy is an accommodation school created to serve students who are unable to attend their home district school; some districts run their own accommodation programs and others rely on the county regional school district. Supervisors and staff agreed more work is needed to coordinate with large boundaried districts and explore funding or operational partnerships.

What happens next: board members asked for additional detail on how much of any funding would be recurring, what the contingency would cover, and options to partner with school districts and the state to sustain ASU‑linked and other programs for detained students. The superintendent’s office said it would continue to seek grant and donation sources but requested contingency funding to avoid program interruption.