Pinal County announced on Apr. 10 that it is seeking one local resident to serve on the Air Quality Control Hearing Board, which was established under Arizona Revised Statutes A.R.S. 49-478. The board provides a way for citizens and permit applicants to appeal decisions made by the county’s Control Officer related to permits and authorizations.
The opportunity allows community members to be directly involved in environmental decision-making, including matters such as permit approvals or denials, revisions, fee invoices, operating authorizations, variances under general permits, or conditional orders.
According to the announcement, “The Pinal County Air Quality Control Hearing Board has been established pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes A.R.S. 49-478 to provide a mechanism by which citizens and permit applicants may appeal decisions made by the Control Officer regarding a permit approval or denial, permit revision, permit fee invoice, authorization to operate, variance under a general permit or conditional order.” The recruitment is open specifically for one Pinal County citizen interested in joining the board.
While inviting applications for civic participation in air quality governance, recent education statistics show significant academic challenges among local students. In Pinal County during the 2022-23 school year, 76.3% of students in grades three through eight did not pass the mathematics section of the AASA assessment according to data from the Arizona Department of Education. Similarly high rates were observed among high schoolers taking standardized tests: 81% failed mathematics on the ACT according to state data.
English proficiency also remains an area of concern; nearly 69.7% of third through eighth graders failed English on their AASA exam as reported by state sources, while about 73% of high schoolers did not pass English on their ACT according to official results.
Recent test results from the current academic year indicate some improvement: Seventeen percent of local high schoolers passed mathematics on this year’s ACT based on new figures from state education officials, and twenty-three percent of third through eighth graders passed math on this year’s AASA assessment according to updated data.
Residents interested in serving can find more information about responsibilities and application procedures through official county channels.
