KTAR News 92.3 Reporter Stories

More than 600 people in the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) have signed a petition calling for the resignation of governing board member Jerimiah Cota after he attended a far-right political group’s holiday party.

he 2026 primary election is six months away- here’s who’s lining up to be the next Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Mesa Public Schools is putting empty space in its buildings to good use – leasing out the space to a local private school that serves children with autism.

Students across the Valley walk out of class to protest ICE as a part of larger scale nationwide protests. 

With more and more schools closing in the Valley, some are blaming private schools and the voucher program for declining enrollment in public schools. But why are parents putting their kids in private schools?

Officials shut down the North Rim last year after the Dragon Bravo Fire burned about 145,000 acres. It burned for over two months, making history as the seventh‑largest wildfire in Arizona.

Park officials say they’ll take a flexible, step‑by‑step approach to reopening the North Rim.

For another year KTAR News followed along with local workers and volunteers participating in the "Point-in-Time count," a helpful initiative for tracking local homeless populations and a critical requirement for federal funding.

We hear more from the Maricopa Assoication of Governments  and focus on perspectives from unhoused individuals surveyed during the count.

The Phoenix Union High School District is reminding students of the option to log into class remotely due to ICE raids in the Phoenix area this week.

The Gilbert Public Schools governing board approved the closure of Pioneer Elementary School Tuesday night, shutting the school down before the 2026-2027 school year.

A protest outside the Zipps near Central and Osborn today after more than a dozen Zipps Sports Grills were raided by Homeland Security. Local immigration attorney Juliana Manzanarez says she watched as chemical agents were deployed in the crowd. She was told workers who spoke Spanish were treated more roughly than those who spoke English. 

The Alhambra Elementary School District is considering closing Valencia Newcomer School and Choice Learning Academy at the end of the school year due to low enrollment and budget concerns.

The Trump Administration has withdrawn an appeal that would have allowed the removal of millions in federal funding due to DEI-language non-compliance by schools. Superintendent Horne reacts.

Two new introduced bills could change how sex education is taught in Arizona, banning abortion talk and requiring adoption practices to be shared.

State Superintendent Tom Horne speaks about increasing school resource officers and DEI requirements for schools in his State of Education address.

Valley moms like Breanna Wood and Yoleaisa Carwell are both trying to get their families into shelter, as mother of five Wood currently worries everyday about how to pay for a hotel and Carwell says her and her two sons have had to sleep on the streets. Both women share struggles they've had in getting assistance, we also hear responses to those challenges from MAG, the City of Chandler and UMOM.

Arizona does not offer guaranteed paid parental leave for teachers, and that could be a reason for the state’s teacher shortage.

The Arizona Board of Regents and the Cactus League are partnering for the fourth year to get more students in college and in the ballpark.

Reported fatal overdoses are up nearly 16 percent in Arizona over the past year, which ranks as the highest in the country during that time, according to a new CDC report that through Aug. 2025.

The Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) governing board voted last night to approved part of a budget proposal, resulting in around 90 staff positions being cut.

The Cartwright School District voted Wednesday night to switch back to a five-day week schedule after using a four-day school week model since 2023.

Israel's Consul General of the Pacific Southwest visited the state capitol today, exclusively telling KTAR there's a "good chance" Israel's defense minister will visit AZ next month, as the nation and Arizona leaders seek economic partnerships

 Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs spoke out against the state’s school voucher program twice this week, saying Republicans should be “embarrassed” of the program’s waste of taxpayer dollars.

 Two Mesa High School leaders who are under investigation for failing to promptly report a suspected crime to police will not have their contracts renewed.

The Arizona Supreme Court declined to review a lawsuit filed by Supt. Horne in 2023 regarding dual-language courses. 

The Peoria Unified School District Governing Board approved moving ahead with a proposal to close Kachina and Pioneer elementary schools due to a $21 million budget shortfall predicted for 2027.