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MIGRANT PROTEST
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STRIKING UP THE BANDS
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
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SROs absent in Ahwatukee – and may remain that way BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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s students returned to Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista high schools in March, one thing was missing – and will remain absent for the rest of the school year, just as it had been when campuses reopened for two-day-a-week classroom learning in the fall. School resource officers have not been on either campus since the March 2020 statewide closure of schools. And barring an unexpected windfall from an outside source, SROs won’t be at the two
Ahwatukee campuses when the new school year begins in August even though they will be present at the district’s four Tempe campuses for 2021-22 as the result of a state grant. A fifth Tempe campus that had a state Department of Education grant for an SRO is Compadre, which is being shut down at the end of this school year, its programs being moved to Marcos de Niza. It is unclear if the district can use its state grant for Compadre to hire an SRO for the Ahwatukee campuses. The SRO debate emerged in spring 2020 as the district was grappling with the many challenges brought on by the pandemic and as na-
tionwide protests against police brutality gave birth to a national movement to rid school campuses of uniformed officers with guns. Echoing that latter movement, TU Governing Board President Brian Garcia moved that the district not use $450,000 the administration had set aside for SROs and instead put the money toward more counselors, social workers and other staff that could address students’ social-emotional well- being. Garcia’s motion sparked a districtwide debate splitting parents and students on the is-
see SRO page 9
Promoter sees balloon fest as a welcome COVID break
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WHAT IF
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PRIDE TRACK
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BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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he life of a promoter hasn’t been easy since the pandemic crushed live events more than a year ago. Limits and often outright bans on crowds made it pretty difficult for promoters like Tim Matykiewicz of Ahwatukee, especially since a lot of what his company does is organize events for big crowds. That’s why Matykiewicz is especially psyched right now as he gets down to the final days of planning the 10th annual Arizona Balloon Classic, which will run April 30-May 2 at the Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S Ballpark Way, Goodyear – or, as he likes to say for the benefit of his neighbors, a mere 20-minute ride from Ahwatukee. And even though the balloon festival is coming a little later than usual so that he has to worry about high winds and even though
see BALLOONS page 4
Lucy Bunch and Tim Matykiewicz have a garage full of flags, signs and other paraphernalia for the Arizona Balloon Classic. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)
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