Funds released to pay Isaac School District teachers, Supt. Tom Horne says

PHOENIX — Isaac School District teachers can expect to be paid on Friday, according to Arizona’s top education official.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced that the Maricopa County Treasurer’s Office sent the west Phoenix district enough money to pay teachers, ending the looming threat of school closures.

“The crisis in the Isaac district is over and the teachers are getting paid,” Horne said in a press release. “I want to applaud them for their patience and heroism in continuing to do their jobs this week. I also want to thank County Treasurer John Allen for his statesmanship.”

Marisol Garcia, an Isaac teacher who serves as president of the Arizona Education Association, gave credit to her fellow educators for resolving the crisis.

“Our members went into work every day not knowing when they would get paid or if schools would be open beyond this week, but they knew how important it was for the future of this community and so they showed up for their students,” Garcia said in a statement. “If anyone doubted any of our members’ dedication before, this week made it crystal clear.”

The source of the funding wasn’t immediately clear. State officials and lawmakers have been working on ways to keep Isaac’s 12 schools open since the district, which reportedly accumulated negative cash balances in the $20 million range, was placed under a receivership earlier this month.

In addition, the Tolleson Union High School District agreed Wednesday to a lease-purchase deal where it would buy Isaac Middle School for $25 million dollars and lease it back to the Isaac School District.

Isaac School District teachers stage ‘walk-in’ demonstration

Isaac employees agreed to continue working this week even though the district missed payroll on Tuesday, but it’s not known how long that would last if the money didn’t become available.

Horne made his announcement just a few hours after staff, parents and students demanded payment during a “walk-in” demonstration at Joseph Zito Elementary School on Friday morning.

Faculty, parents and students staged a walk-in at Joseph Zito Elementary, which is a part of the Isaac School District, to demand overdue pay for teachers. This is the third day teachers have gone unpaid. @KTAR923 @AZMorningNews pic.twitter.com/GvcJpBRSiT

— Colton Krolak (@ColtonKrolak) January 31, 2025

Crystal Perez, a school counselor at Zito Elementary, told KTAR News 92.3 FM that Isaac School District teachers were hopeful of receiving their first paychecks since Jan. 14 by the end of the day.

“We don’t have any more assurances than anyone else, but we have been told that he is probably going to push the button,” Perez said. “So, until the button is pushed and we have those checks in our hands, we don’t really have any assurances.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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