Arizona

"A deal on a state budget in hand after days of wrangling between Republican factions, the Arizona House on Thursday evening adopted a $9.24 billion state budget that made changes to a plan passed by the Senate."

"The Arizona Department of Education recently announced 123 reward schools' in the state, including Barbara B.Robey Elementary in Litchfield Park, Corte Sierra Elementary in Avondale and Wigwam Creek Middle School in Litchfield Park. The reward designations are part of a state program that recognizes achievement in TitleI schools, said Molly Edwards, an Arizona Department of Education spokeswoman. Title I schools have large numbers of poor students and often those students have lower scores on standardized tests. By definition, more than 40percent of students at those schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch."

"Millions of poor people could still be left without medical insurance under the national health care law if states take an option granted by the Supreme Court and decide not to expand their Medicaid programs, state officials and health policy experts said Friday."

"The measure would have allowed Arizona schools to opt out of the National School Lunch Program, which offers low-income pupils free or reduced-price lunches at most public schools. Charter schools and private schools are exempt from the federal program."

"A bill that would allow Arizona schools to opt out of a federal program that subsidizes lunches for poor children proved too much of a lightning rod for its sponsor, who requested the measure be shelved for the session."

"A handful of public schools in Arizona are the first to undertake an ambitious new program this year to not only improve what students learn but also to demand results and reward them by allowing some to graduate two years sooner."