Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne

Arizona Approves Educational Materials from Prager University for Schools

February 1, 2024January 31, 2024 Tom Pappert

Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) and other lawmakers joined Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne on Wednesday for a press event to introduce a new partnership between the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and Prager University, a nonprofit that provides educational resources that hold a positive view of the United States.

Hoffman and PragerU CEO Marissa Streit joined Horne at a press event outside the Arizona State Senate. They said the partnership with Prager University is about giving educators, parents, and students more choice and control in their education.

Arizona Department of Education Demands Evidence Schools Are Complying with Mandatory Holocaust Education

January 12, 2024January 11, 2024 Tom Pappert

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne sent a letter on Tuesday demanding each school in Arizona provide evidence demonstrating compliance with a state law mandating students learn about the Holocaust by January 24.

Horne notified schools via email to “report us by close of business” on January 24 “what you are doing to implement ARS Section 15-701.2 regarding instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides,” and for schools to “indicate how much time is devoted to the subject and what you use for curriculum.”

Arizona to Enlist Off-Duty Police to Guard Schools amid ‘Pervasive Officer Shortage’

October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 Tom Pappert

State Superintendent of Public Schools Tom Horne announced on Wednesday that he contracted with a private company to fill law enforcement vacancies at schools in 11 Arizona counties. Horne said the new contract would ensure safety of students, teachers, and staff despite a “pervasive officer shortage” throughout the state.

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) revealed a new contract with Off Duty Management (ODM), a private company, to schedule off-duty law enforcement to serve as School Safety Officers (SSOs).

Arizona GOP Leaders Slam ‘Vague Threats’ from Gov. Katie Hobbs over Empowerment Scholarship Accounts

October 13, 2023October 12, 2023 Tom Pappert

The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature joined the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in a joint press release on Wednesday in response to a recent social media post by Governor Katie Hobbs (D). In her post, the governor claimed Arizona’s popular Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program was unsustainable and called for it to be restricted.

Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R), Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria), and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) issued a press release defending the state’s education voucher program after Hobbs called it “unaccountable and unsustainable” in a statement posted to X.

Speaker Toma Promises Arizona GOP Will Protect ESA Program Because ‘Parents Want Choice’

August 28, 2023 Tom Pappert

Arizona state House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria) promised Republicans in the legislature will not relent in the partisan fight over Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), even as Governor Katie Hobbs and Arizona Democrats claim the growing school choice initiative is draining the state budget.

Toma said critics of the ESA program are “disingenuous” in their claims for political reasons, asserting that Republicans instead believe it is “the state’s responsibility” to provide education for all children, and “[p]arents want choice” in the matter, during a Friday interview with Arizona Capitol Times.

State Representative Matt Gress Joins Arizona Department of Education School Safety Task Force

August 3, 2023August 2, 2023 Hannah Poling

State Representative Matt Gress (R-Scottsdale) is joining the new School Safety Task Force recently established by the Arizona Department of Education.

This follows Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne inviting Gress to join the task force which evaluates funding gaps and statutory limitations as well as makes recommendations to build upon the integrity of the Arizona Department of Education’s school safety program.

Arizona Lawmakers Stand up for Education Savings Accounts as A.G. Kris Mayes Attacks the Program

May 28, 2023May 27, 2023 Neil Jones

The leadership of both houses of the Arizona Legislature sent Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) a scathing letter Thursday, demanding that she redact public comments she made against Arizona Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

“As legislators and other elected officials have long emphasized, Arizona was the first in the nation to implement universal school choice and has been a model for the rest of the country. Legal and political attacks against ES As have failed time and time again. Parents have spoken and the Legislature has enacted ESAs into law. Your job, as an executive branch official, is to execute the law, not attack it,” the lawmakers wrote.

Arizona Department of Education Files Response Brief in Case Challenging Arizona Sports Law

May 25, 2023May 24, 2023 Neil Jones

PHOENIX, Arizona – The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) held a press conference Wednesday detailing a new filing submitted in the lawsuit surrounding Arizona’s law, the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” that prevents biological males from competing against women in school sports.

“This case turns on one crucial fact: can plaintiffs prove that pre-puberty boys have no sports advantage over girls? They cannot,” according to the brief shared with reporters.

Grants Approved to Fund Safety Officers on 301 Arizona Schools

May 24, 2023May 23, 2023 Neil Jones

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) announced Monday that the State Board of Education has approved grant funding for 301 statewide schools to finance a school resource officer (SRO) on campus. This shows a significant increase in schools seeking armed security, as 190 campuses utilized the grant for officers during the previous cycle.

Additionally, it is not only more SROs coming to campuses, as Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne also got payments approved for 566 counselors and social workers around the state in over $45 million in grants. In total, the School Safety Program offered nearly $100 million in funding from state and federal monies. The grants will go into effect in the Fall of 2023 and last until the 2025/26 school year.

Arizona Department of Education Pushes for Phoenix School Safety Grants Despite Delays from District Board

May 16, 2023May 15, 2023 Neil Jones

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) announced Friday it would be recommending the State Board of Education (SBE) approve public safety grant requests presented by six Phoenix schools, despite inaction from the district board.

“Our first responsibility is to protect the safety and the lives of students and staff. The worst tragedy would be for a maniac to invade a school and kill students with no police officer there to protect them. In addition, the police officers are there all year, befriend the students, so students view them as friends rather than as the enemy, and the police officers also teach courses,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R).

Arizona Department of Education Requests Changes for Lawsuit Against Arizona’s Law Separating Boys’ and Girls’ Sports

May 7, 2023May 6, 2023 Neil Jones

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) announced Thursday it had filed a motion in court to have the venue of a lawsuit against the enforcement of an Arizona law changed from Tucson to Phoenix.

“Crucially, counsel for the parties are located in Phoenix. Even Plaintiffs are represented by local counsel in Phoenix, as is counsel for Superintendent [Tom] Horne. The result is that all of the Arizona lawyers are located in Phoenix, none are located in Tucson. That makes an overwhelming difference in the expense to the parties in litigating this case,” according to the motion, emailed to reporters.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction: Equitable Grading Does Not Belong Here

May 4, 2023May 3, 2023 Neil Jones

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) released a statement Tuesday, blasting the practice of “equitable grading” that he claims is helping to create a lazy student body.

“In education today, we have a war between excellence and mediocrity. So-called ‘equitable,’ ‘compassionate,’ or ‘standards-based’ grading promotes mediocrity. Test scores show that the students are not learning enough to properly compete in an internationally competitive economy,” Horne said. “If we are to increase learning and show it in increased test scores, students must do homework and be graded objectively. The parents of the state are demanding this result.”

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Pushes Back Against Drag Shows in Schools

May 2, 2023May 1, 2023 Neil Jones

On Saturday, a student-led drag show was held at Tucson High School titled the “School is a Drag, Show,” as planned by the school’s Q Space, a club for LGBTQ+ students. In response, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) said these shows should not be held in the schools.

“In my view, adults have first amendment rights to attend drag shows if they choose to, but they don’t belong in school,” Horne said via the phone to The Arizona Sun Times.

Education Superintendent Tom Horne Blasts Opposition to Teacher Pay Increase Bill

April 28, 2023April 27, 2023 Neil Jones

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) released a statement Tuesday blasting opposition from Democrats and the state’s teacher union to House Bill (HB) 2800, sponsored by Representative Matt Gress (R-Phoenix).

“Shockingly, the Arizona teacher’s union and a number of Democrats in the legislature, oppose the bill. All we can think of is that they are opposed to it because it is a Republican bill. These kinds of questions should be bipartisan, and people should not oppose a good bill, just because [a] Republican introduced it,” Horne said.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Continues Push for On-Campus Police, Extends Grant Deadline

April 15, 2023April 14, 2023 Neil Jones

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne revealed data yesterday showing support for School Resource Officers (SROs) on school district campuses and said his office would continue pushing to see this across the state.

“There is overwhelming support among parents living in the Phoenix Union District (PXU), statewide, as well as classroom teachers, to keep children and staff safe by having school resource officers at the schools. They not only provide safety, but teach classes, and become friendly with students, so that students learn to trust them, rather than viewing police as enemies,” Horne said.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Says Project Momentum Arizona Will Continue Under His Administration

April 5, 2023April 4, 2023 Neil Jones

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) announced Monday that the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) would take up the funding needed to continue expanding Project Momentum Arizona (PMA) in state schools.

“My job is to make sure student learning increases and test scores improve. Project Momentum Arizona has proven to be remarkably effective where it has been implemented. Every school in the Avondale Elementary [School] District [AESD] is now either rated A or B, and students in the Buckeye Elementary District outperformed the state average in the latest statewide achievement test,” Horne said.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction: More Money to Classrooms Means Better Results

March 30, 2023March 29, 2023 Neil Jones

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne released a study Tuesday demonstrating that school districts that put a higher percentage of their budget into the classroom and teacher salaries perform better academically.

“No school can be better than the quality of the teachers in the classroom,” Horne stated. “The surrounding states pay more, and we lose good teachers to those states. We cannot afford to let this go on.”

Arizona Education Chief: The Key to Success in College Depends Directly on the Academic Quality Students Receive Before They Enroll

March 14, 2023March 13, 2023 Neil Jones

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) told The Arizona Sun Times over the phone that he hopes his administration can increase the number of Arizona high school graduates enrolling in universities by improving the education they receive before graduating.

“In order to go onto college, students have to get a good academic education, and that’s my total focus, to improve the academic education students get,” Horne said via the phone. “I’m doing everything I can to raise the academics in the schools.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne Announces ‘Empowerment Hotline’ to Report CRT in Schools

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023 Neil Jones

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced Thursday that he is launching the “Empowerment Hotline” (EH) so constituents can call in reports of students receiving alleged inappropriate teachings in the classrooms.

“I promised to establish this hotline so that anyone could report the teaching of inappropriate lessons that rob students of precious minutes of instruction time in core academic subjects such as reading, math, science, history and the arts. That promise is being kept,” Horne said.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne Encourages Schools to Adopt a Character Education Program Ahead of Grant Applications

February 23, 2023February 22, 2023 Neil Jones

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) released a statement Tuesday encouraging schools to adopt a character-focused curriculum created by Character Counts (CC) as new matching grant applications will open soon.

“When I was last Superintendent, from 2003 to 2011, we successfully implemented The Six Pillars of Character [Six Pillars]: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship,” said Horne. “Unlike social and emotional learning [SEL], which has become a distraction from academics, this program was integrated into education such as students writing essays on each of the pillars. As we renew the focus on academics, it could provide an important balance to our students’ education.”

Tag: Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne