For immediate release: August 26, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

State education funding comes in under budget, demolishes ESA budget myth

Most recent Fiscal Year ended with more than $4 million surplus

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says the myth that the Empowerment Scholarship Program was ever a threat to Arizona’s budget has been thoroughly demolished.

For Fiscal Year 2024, which ended on June 30, the Basic State Aid payments for education programs at district and charter schools as well as the ESA program finished the year $4.3 million under budget.

Horne said, “Having a surplus of more than $4 million is proof positive that the critics who have claimed the ESA program will bust the not only the state’s education budget but the entire budget itself were always wrong. It was always a myth, and that myth is utterly demolished.”

He added, “Budget figures are stubborn facts and they do not stand up to the political posturing that ESA critics have consistently and wrongly thrown at the program. The universal ESA scholarships are a vital part of making sure that parents are able to choose the schools that best fit the needs of their children. For example, we have families with three children.  Two are doing fine in the neighborhood public school, but the needs of the third are not being met.  ESAs enable the parents to find a school that meets the needs of the third child.  How can anyone be so immersed in ideology that they would deny the parents that ability?”

He concluded, “Having choices such as charter schools, open enrollment for district schools and ESAs are a valuable tool for Arizona parents. As today’s announcement shows, these choices do not result in any part of the budget deficit.  It resulted from overly optimistic projections of state revenues. ESAs are enabling parents to find the best schools to meet their children’s needs. No rational person should oppose that.”

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For immediate release: August 22, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne announces renewed effort to have statewide school cell phone ban

Legislation approved last year fell to Governor’s veto

PHOENIX – Citing the need for teachers to be able to fully manage their classroom with minimal distractions, emphasize academic performance and create a safer campus environment, state schools’ chief Tom Horne says he will push legislation for a statewide school cell phone ban.

Horne stated, “Imagine being a teacher and trying to teach a class while students were scrolling on their cell phones.  That this has been permitted is outrageous.  It decreases student learning significantly and makes life hard for teachers who already have heavy burdens. No teacher should have to compete against phones for the attention of students. Classroom cell phone use has become so rampant that it is taking away precious instructional minutes and research shows that student academic performance is suffering. This is unacceptable, and statewide legislation is essential to eliminating these distractions.”

He added, “"This legislation passed the legislature last year but was vetoed by the Governor.  That veto was irrational and irresponsible.  People need to contact the Governor's office and urge that it is not vetoed next year.  Leaving this to districts means some teachers will still have to teach to classes of students scrolling on cell phones, which NO teacher should be required to do."

Horne is joined in his support by former Tucson public school teacher, Mitchell Rutherford, who left the profession because so many students were using mobile devices in the classroom that his ability to be an effective teacher was diminished.

Several state legislators, including Sen. Shawnna Bolick, Rep. Beverly Pingerelli, Sen. T.J. Shope, and Rep. Matt Gress are among those who have expressed support for legislation. Horne has also won the support of governing board members Susan Ward of Payson and Apache Junction district Superintendent Dr. Bob Papalardo.

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For immediate release: August 15, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne blasts “Save Our Schools” leader for supporting biological boys using girls’ locker rooms and showers

Social media post reveals stance

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says “Save Our Schools” leader Beth Lewis owes her membership and Arizona educators an explanation for her support for having biological boys with male genitalia shower in girls’ locker rooms and using girls’ restrooms.

In a social media post last week, Lewis criticized three grandmothers who visited with Horne to share their concern that new federal Title IX guidelines would allow biological boys to use girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms.

Horne stated, “Beth Lewis mocked three grandmothers who visited with me last week and posted on X, asking, ‘Why do Tom Horne and these Grandmas care who my kids are sharing a bathroom with?’ Lewis’ position is astonishingly reckless toward the safety of vulnerable school children. I can assure her that there are countless parents and grandparents who are justifiably concerned about this because of the serious danger it poses to girls.”

He added, “Lewis owes her membership an explanation for this. These changes to Title IX regulations are outrageous since they allow biological boys to expose themselves to girls in bathrooms and locker rooms and invade the girls’ privacy. They will also cause unbelievable management challenges for campus administrators, teachers and coaches that will make their jobs much more difficult. Further, there will also be damage to public education parents as remove their daughters from schools that allow this.”

Horne also noted that the federal court in the ongoing Louisiana v. USDOE, described the impact of the new Title IX regulations stated: “Tennessee, for example, tendered a comment identifying numerous instances of males attacking females in public restrooms that were designated for females only. In Tennessee's view, the new rules would further enable such conduct…” In intimate spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms, Students retain “a significant privacy interest in their unclothed bodies. This necessarily includes “the right to shield one's body from exposure to viewing by the opposite sex.” Id. After all, in the words of former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the integration of an all-male military institution “would undoubtedly require alterations necessary to afford members of each sex privacy from the other sex in living arrangements.”

Horne concluded, “The courts see the tragedies that have already occurred because of policies such as the new Title IX regulations. Beth Lewis and SOS have no excuse for not understanding that as well.”

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For immediate release: August 12, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne announces waiver offer from federal government to avoid reverting funds

Word came late last week and will be submitted

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced today the U.S. Department of Education (USED) contacted the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) late last week to offer a waiver to recoup approximately $29 million federal Title I dollars that had been under-utilized during the Hoffman administration. The department has submitted that waiver request that will cover State Fiscal Years 2021, 2022, and 2023.

On August 8, USED contacted ADE Title I staff to encourage the department to apply for what is known as a Tydings waiver to allow excess funds that had accrued due to under-allocations that began in Federal Fiscal Year 2020. Prior to the August 8 notification, no requests had been mentioned by USED to ADE.

Horne stated, “I will always fight for more money for schools, so I am happy to submit this waiver request to the federal government. The under-utilization of about $29 million in federal funds began in Federal Fiscal Year 2020, but continued under the previous superintendent and the employee who incompetently handed these allocations no longer works at this department.”

He added, “The governor today is repeating false allegations. These dollars should have been sent to districts and charters years ago during the Hoffman administration, but they were allowed by previous staff to accumulate and potentially revert. In reality she is asking to investigate Kathy Hoffman’s administration, but the problem is being corrected by my administration.”

With the approval of this waiver request, the department will be able to increase funding to the most underserved districts and charters.

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For immediate release: August 6, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne calls for Azcentral / Arizona Republic to retract false story about federal funds

Information was withheld showing errors began prior to Horne taking office

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has sent a letter to the News Director of Azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic demanding the retraction of a story falsely blaming the Horne administration for the reversion of $29 million in federal funds.

The letter states, in part, “The story is false, and the reporter responsible for writing it dishonestly and, apparently with intent, withheld information given to him in advance of the story that clearly shows the story is false. This is unacceptable and cannot stand.

In an email from our communications director to Nick Sullivan at 9:41 a.m. on Friday, August 2 - three days prior to the story’s publication - your reporter was told, “The reverted funds represent federal school improvement dollars allocated in federal Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022 during the prior department administration. (That means the dollars had to be allocated by July 1, 2022, before I took office.) …

That should have either been the end of the story, or at least placed the responsibility on the administration that was in office at the time these errors were made. Instead, your publication printed a story claiming that my administration caused this problem, which is absolutely false.”

A full copy of the letter is attached.

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For immediate release: August 6, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne statement on dishonest Azcentral report on grant funds

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued the following statement in response to today’s reporting on Azcentral about reverted federal grants:

Horne said, “The mishandling and failure to notify districts of correct allocations with time for them to properly plan and spend the money resulted from an error by an employee of my predecessor before I took office. This person told the schools they had smaller allocations than they had.  We were constantly on the phone urging districts to spend as much of the money properly as they could.  

I have always worked to obtain as much money as possible for the schools, and I did not tolerate the incompetence of the employee, who was fired or resigned when told otherwise would be fired in March 2023.

The story on azcentral dishonestly withheld important information about this, which we gave the reporter.”

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For immediate release: July 31, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne answers inquiries about schools and COVID

Notes health agencies now treat COVID as common respiratory virus

Responding to an inquiry about the status of COVID cases in Arizona and any potential effect on schools, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says public health agencies now consider COVID to be a common respiratory virus and schools should operate normally.

Horne stated, “I have been asked about how schools should address a recent surge in COVID cases in Arizona. My unequivocal answer, based on guidance from national and state public health agencies, is that schools absolutely need to operate normally because the threat of COVID, especially among school-age children is extremely minimal. By contrast, extended closures of schools during the pandemic had a debilitating and long-lasting effect on learning. We see that in lower test scores nationally and the cost to the education of millions of children is incalculable.”

The Centers for Disease Control guidance on respiratory viruses now describes COVID as a “common respiratory viral illness such as RSV or the flu.” Former Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble was quoted in a recent news item as saying COVID is “working its way into becoming a common cold.” The current state Department of Health Services website states that both that agency and the CDC “recognize that students benefit mentally, emotionally, and physically from in-person instruction.”

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For immediate release: July 22, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne: Schools should get legal advice before following new Title IX rules

Controversial changes face multiple legal hurdles

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says Arizona districts and charters should consult legal counsel to determine if they should delay implementing controversial new federal Title IX guidelines that may cause students to suffer damages.

The new regulations are set to take effect on August 1 and face multiple legal challenges.

In a letter sent to district and charter school administrators, Horne said, “This is your choice, but you may wish to delay implementing the new regulations until the legal situation is clarified. If the regulations are implemented and then later overruled by the courts, students may suffer damages in the meantime.”

Horne added, “In the past I’ve been asked by districts, as a policy matter, about their consideration of rules, permitting biological boys who have male genitalia being allowed in girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers. My response was that there should be unisex bathrooms available, and if there was no room for them, the faculty bathroom should be used for that purpose. That would preserve the dignity of biological boys who identify as girls. But if they were allowed in girls’ facilities, I thought parents might well remove the girls from the school and send them to another district, Charter School, or private school. So, this rule could significantly injure public education.”

He notes that a Louisiana federal court ruling outlines the potential consequences to students if these news regulations are applied: “In Louisiana v. USDOE, the federal court described the impact of the August 1 rule as follows: ‘…requires students to be allowed access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on the gender identity [chosen, not at birth] requires schools to use whatever pronouns the student requests; and imposes additional requirements that will result in substantial costs to the school.’”

Horne concluded, “This is not legal advice. The Arizona Attorney General may disagree… We are a local control state, and it will be up to districts and charters to determine how to proceed in this situation. You need to consult with your lawyer. I am only providing information I think might be useful.”

For example, in an amicus brief to a Texas court considering whether to make its injunction against the new regulation nationwide, it was pointed out that "the Governing Board of the Dysart District in Arizona adopted a resolution on July 11, 2024, affirming its commitment to the pre-Final rule interpretation of Title IX, formally affirming that the Final Rule is contrary to the statutory text."

The full letter and appendix are attached.

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For immediate release: June 18, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne effort to reduce red tape for teachers succeeds with lawmakers

Budget moves completes reform initiated by Horne in 2023

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says the newly-passed state budget includes a change that he has long sought: the elimination of the Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) program, which many educators consider an unnecessary bureaucratic requirement and a waste of classroom time.

Horne said, “One of my 16 initiatives to raise academic results is to reduce paperwork for teachers. Last year, I had the department reduce the administrative burden of the KEA assessment by more than 80 percent. If I had the legal authority to eliminate it, I would have. Over time, the KEA had ballooned into an endless morass of paperwork that meant teachers had to spend too much time on bureaucratic requirements versus time with students. Now the legislature has taken the welcome step of entirely removing the legal requirement for the KEA, which frees up more time for teachers to spend on classroom instruction.”

There is positive reaction from educators in the field.

Dysart Unified School District Superintendent John Croteau said, “Superintendent Horne reviewed our feedback on the KEA in our Kindergarten classes. The KEA duplicated many of our current practices and took away valuable instructional time. This decision prioritizes student interests by focusing on maximizing valuable classroom time to enhance student learning opportunities.”

Challenger Charter School CEO Wendy Miller said, “Superintendent Horne and his department sought feedback directly from kindergarten teachers and families about the time, student privacy, and resources lost to KEA and we appreciate the swift and effective action taken to eliminate this program in the best interests of Arizona kids!”  

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For immediate release: May 29, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne responds to Save Our Schools criticism

Says parents should be able to choose the schools that best meet their children’s academic needs

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne is responding to today’s news conference by Save Our Schools attacking the ability of parents to choose the school that best meets their children’s academic needs.

Horne said, “Statewide approximately 75,000 students are in the ESA program compared to 1,250,000 in public schools. ESAs are not a threat to public schools, but the competition they provide causes public schools to perform better as opposed to being a government monopoly which SOS prefers.”

He added, “Here is an example of why SOS is absolutely wrong on this issue: We have families that have three children. The needs of two of the children are met at the neighborhood school, but the needs of one of the children are not being met. The parents now have the ability to choose another school that meets that students’ academic needs. No one could rationally be against that unless they are so immersed in ideology like SOS is and it has made them coldhearted with respect to students’ academic needs.”

He continued, “SOS pointed to Phoenix Union losing funds because of ESA’s. Any time they lose students, they also lose the cost of educating the student, so they’re resulting funding per student in their district remains constant. In the case of ESA students, only 40 students left Phoenix Union schools for that reason during the last school year. The 1,137 cited in the department’s Quarterly Report are children who live within Phoenix Union boundaries but have either never attended a Phoenix Union school or had not in recent years. If there are students in private or charter schools who would otherwise be attending Phoenix Union, it is because the parents concluded that Phoenix Union was not meeting the child’s academic needs. This is even more so in the case of Phoenix Union for not providing the safety that the parents want for their children.”

Horne concluded “Historically, some Phoenix Union board members have been so immersed in ideology, that they neglected the academic and safety needs of students and of staff. A few years ago, when unruly students invaded in Phoenix union in School, board meeting demanding that the school eliminate School Resource Officers (police officers there to protect the safety of students and staff) the school board surrendered and eliminated those officers. That was irresponsible and undoubtedly affected some parents’ choices. However, the trend has been positive in that Phoenix Union now does have SROs.”

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