NW Valley Times

Arizona State Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp (R-Surprise) said the financial collapse of Isaac Elementary School District (IESD) in Phoenix "calls for an immediate criminal investigation."

"The mismanagement of $20M by Issac Elementary School District calls for an immediate criminal investigation!" said Shamp in a statement provided to NW Valley Times. "Isaac Elementary School District receives $19,478 per student in funding, yet somehow the administrators overspent by $20M?!?!"

"This isn’t just 'poor budgeting' this is a gross mismanagement of funds!!!"

IESD has been reported to be over $12 million in debt, with some sources indicating the deficit could be as high as $15 million or more. This financial mismanagement led to the district being unable to meet its payroll and other operational costs, reported Fox 10 Phoenix.

Due to the crisis, the Arizona State Board of Education placed the Isaac School District under receivership on January 14, 2025. The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to provide $6 million in federal relief funds to assist with immediate payroll needs. 

The superintendent of the district, Mario Ventura, resigned amid the financial crisis, taking responsibility for the situation. Additionally, there have been calls from educators for the entire school board to resign, reported ABC 15. 

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) has asked for emergency legislation to ensure staff are paid, while Attorney General Kris Mayes (D-Ariz.) asked Maricopa County to continue payments to the district to prevent immediate disruptions.

Members of the Arizona House Majority Leadership sent a letter this week to Mayes requesting a criminal investigation into the school district's financial collapse. 

The letter said the leaders were “shocked to learn” that Mayes said she has “no intention of investigating this school district, claiming that there is no evidence of warranting an investigation."

“Your statements defending the school district’s actions strongly suggest that you have already made up your mind without reviewing any facts,” said the letter. “Notably, you have shown no hesitation whatsoever to investigate any potential violations of the law when the bad actors involved are affiliated with Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program.”

Shamp was elected by her peers to serve as Senate Majority Leader following the November 2024 elections in which Republicans increased their State Senate majority to 17 seats. The Democrats hold just 13 seats. 

A former perioperative nurse and nurse manager in the medical field, Shamp was first elected to represent Arizona’s 29th Legislative District in Nov. 2022. A resident of Surprise, she graduated from Arizona State University cum laude in Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology. She also graduated from Grand Canyon University magna cum laude in Nursing.