Dispute over poverty funds shakes schools' trust in Arizona's Education Department

Arizona Department of Education leaders for weeks denied the department had taken, without notice, tens of thousands of dollars in federal poverty funds from a southern Arizona school district and several charter schools this year. Now, they are reversing course and acknowledging they did move money from school budgets.

With no clear explanation from the department, some schools were left to determine whether they needed to find new funding sources to cover planned expenses.