Tom Horne | The Arizona Sun Times

Arizona Governor Blasted by State Rep. Pingerelli, Superintendent Tom Horne After Vetoing Bill to Limit Phones in Schools

April 15, 2024 Tom Pappert

Arizona State Rep Beverly Pingerelli, Gov. Katie Hobba

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs received rebukes from State Representative Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria) and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne after she used her veto power to block legislation that limited the use of smartphones in classrooms.

“There is a growing body of research that clearly links the use of wireless devices like cell phones to increased negative social harms among our youth,” said Pingerelli, who chairs the House Committee on Education and introduced HB 2793 to curtail phone use in schools.

Parent Takes Legal Action to Preserve English as the Primary Language in Arizona Classrooms

March 26, 2024 Debra McClure

A Phoenix-area parent filed a lawsuit against Creighton Elementary School District on March 19, 2024, for using a dual language program, accusing the district of violating a law that requires students learning English to be taught in English-only classrooms throughout the school day. The lawsuit was part of a broader effort to uphold English as the primary language used in Arizona classrooms.

According to the lawsuit, parent Patricia Pellett, whose “son is a student currently studying at Scottsdale High School,” is suing Creighton Elementary School District for allegedly violating Proposition 203, which Arizona voters approved “by margin of over 60 [percent]” in 2000. The lawsuit states that the “purpose of Proposition 203 was that children should no longer be taught in bilingual or dual language classes, where they are taught part of the day in Spanish. Instead, the purpose of Proposition 203 was that children should be taught the entire school day in English, so that they would quickly become proficient in English.”

Arizona’s Largest School District Shows Kids How to Hide Gender Transition from Parents: Lawsuit

November 29, 2023November 28, 2023 Just the News

Arizona’s largest school district is flouting state law and its own governing board by covertly instructing students how to assert a different gender identity at school without their parents knowing and hiding evidence of its misdeeds, according to an outspoken member of the board.

Former President Trump aide Stephen Miller’s America First Legal is representing Rachel Walden in her Maricopa County Superior Court lawsuit against Mesa Public Schools and Superintendent Andi Fourlis, which alleges they schemed to circumvent the Arizona Parents’ Bill of Rights after the community learned it was blocking parental notification.

Arizona Schools Superintendent Vows to Defend State’s ‘Save Women’s Sports Act’ All the Way to SCOTUS

November 20, 2023November 19, 2023 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) vowed to protect the state’s law prohibiting boys from competing in girls sports — taking the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.

Arizona to Spend $40 Million on Tutoring to Combat COVID-Era Learning Loss

September 7, 2023September 6, 2023 The Center Square

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced a tutoring program with hopes to combat the negative consequences of learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $40 million program intended to pay public school teachers an additional $30 an hour if they take part in the program starting Oct. 2. According to a news release, private tutoring companies will also be allowed to take part.

Arizona Education Superintendent Tom Horne Advises Schools to Not Permit Biological Males in Biological Females Restrooms

August 19, 2023August 18, 2023 Hannah Poling

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R) released a statement on Thursday “strongly advising” all schools statewide not to enact policies that permit biological males from using biological females’ restrooms, locker rooms, and showers.

According to Horne (pictured above), his statement was prompted by recent questions and concerns from outraged parents about school policies permitting biological males to use biological females’ restroom facilities, saying they may remove their children from schools that allow this in Arizona.

Arizona Gov. Hobbs Calls ESAs ‘Unsustainable’ over $320 Million Shortfall Despite May Warning

July 27, 2023July 26, 2023 Tom Pappert

Governor Katie Hobbs launched new criticisms against the Empowerment Savings Accounts (ESA) program, the school choice initiative allowing all Arizona families to direct education spending to charter or private schools, calling ESAs “unsustainable” and “unaccountable” after reporting the program is estimated to cause a shortfall in the Arizona General Fund.

Total costs for the program are estimated to be $943 million, according to the governor. This will leave the General Fund with a potential shortfall of $319.8 million. Revenues for the General Fund are estimated to be $17.9 billion.

Arizona Department of Education Cries Foul over Attorney General Mayes’ ESA Warning

July 26, 2023July 25, 2023 Tom Pappert

The head of the Arizona Department of Education pushed back on a press release issued by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who warned that students participating in the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program, Arizona’s growing school choice initiative, lose some rights and face unscrupulous vendors or scams after leaving the public school system.

A press release issued by Mayes’ office warned Arizonans that students entering the ESA program “give up rights,” especially from bills aimed at protecting children with disabilities and to access to their children’s educational records. Mayes lamented, “Families should not be denied admission or kicked out of private schools because of a child’s disabilities” and said she wants “families to know that if vendors or private schools” are abusing the program, “the Attorney General’s Office will investigate to the fullest extent of our authority.”

Arizona Attorney General Strikes Down Superintendent Horne’s Dual Language Ban

July 20, 2023July 19, 2023 The Center Square

Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Monday that the Arizona Department of Education cannot stop funding schools because of their choice to teach English language learners with dual language programs.

“Only those school districts and charter schools found by the Board to be noncompliant are barred from receiving monies from the English language learner fund,” Mayes wrote in her opinion.

Education Hotline Allegedly Catches CRT in Arizona Schools, Violating State Law

June 12, 2023June 11, 2023 The Center Square

Since Department of Education Superintendent Tom Horne introduced the Empower School Hotline in March, the department has received calls and emails reporting critical race theory in Arizona schools.

The Department of Education said Thursday that parents had called the hotline with evidence that schools have offered students content regarding gender issues forbidden under state law. Examples include keeping pronoun changes within the classroom, or providing emancipation paperwork to all students in a Gay-Straight Alliance club meeting.

Arizona Freedom Caucus Takes Stand on Lifting School Spending Limit: Only If it Comes with Reforms

January 27, 2023January 27, 2023 Neil Jones

The Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC) announced it would take a stand against lifting the highly contested aggregate expenditure limit (AEL), which puts a cap on public school spending unless it comes with systemic reform.

State Representative Announces Hearing to Discuss Arizona Public School Spending Limitation

January 26, 2023January 25, 2023 Neil Jones

Newly Elected State Rep. Matt Gress (R-Maricopa), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Budgetary Funding Formulas, announced a hearing for Thursday to review the public school spending cap created by the aggregate expenditure limit (AEL).

“The purpose of this committee hearing is to ensure the record investments we’ve made in K-12 education over the last eight years are effectively and responsibly spent so that we can properly invest in our state’s future leaders,” said Gress.

New Department of Education Officials Face Massive Backlog of ESA Requests From Previous Administration

January 24, 2023January 23, 2023 Neil Jones

As a new administration takes over operations for the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), led by Superintendent Tom Horne (R), it appears they are swamped with a massive backlog of Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) requests leftover by the former administration of Kathy Hoffman (D). Christine Accurso, an advocate for ESAs, is now the program’s executive director and is shacking up how the office tackles requests to deal with the backlog. “Our team is processing expense requests in sections, by category so that we can get through them efficiently and effectively. In the past the requests were processed in the order they were received. We are working on new processes to use going forward, as we work through the backlog,” Accurso said in a statement emailed to The Arizona Sun Times.

Automatic Recount Coming for Arizona Attorney General and Other Races

November 23, 2022November 22, 2022 Neil Jones

Counties across Arizona have finished counting votes for the 2022 General Election, but several races remain too close to call and are within range of an automatic recount, including the highly contested race for Arizona Attorney General.

“We’re not done fighting and we are optimistic the recount will further expose the gross incompetence and mismanagement by Maricopa County officials that disenfranchised and silenced the voices of so many Arizona voters,” tweeted Abe Hamadeh, the Republican nominee for the position.

Arizona’s Down-Ticket Races Highly Competitive, New Poll Shows

October 18, 2022October 17, 2022 Admin

Further down the ballot, Arizona voters should expect some highly-competitive statewide races, a new poll shows.

While the incumbent treasurer appears to be in a position to win her re-election bid, the races for secretary of state, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction are tighter, according to OH Predictive Insights’ (OHPI) latest Arizona Public Opinion Pulse (AZPOP) poll. In the latter three races, no candidate leads by more than three points, making them statistically tied because of the poll’s 3.77% margin of error.

Tag: Tom Horne