For immediate release: January 16, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne’s calls on lawmakers to support bill with School Safety Task Force Recommendations

More safety enhancements suggested

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has joined forces with Arizona Representative Matt Gress in pursuing legislation that would allow the implementation of recommendations made by the 2023 ADE School Safety Task Force.

The Task Force consisted of both Democrat and Republican lawmakers, representatives from law enforcement, health care providers and community leaders who collaborated over a period of months to provide the proposals that form the basis for the legislation, HB 2400. 

Horne said, “Making sure schools are safe for students, educators and staff is one of my highest priorities. It would be an unspeakable tragedy to have a maniac storm a campus and harm people, so it is vital to have armed officers at schools.  Under prior legislation, districts could choose either officers or mental health professionals.”

Arizona Representative Matthew Gress said, “Schools must be places where all students, teachers and staff feel safe. This bill is the product of collaboration between educators, certified mental health professionals, law enforcement, legislators, and Superintendent Tom Horne to implement meaningful, common-sense school safety enhancements. I urge my fellow lawmakers to support this vital legislation.”

As introduced, the bill would add School Safety Officers and School Psychologists to the grant program, allow for retired officers to be eligible for the grant program, and permit schools to apply for the purchase of safety technology, safety training, and infrastructure improvements.

School Safety Officers are law enforcement professionals who are assigned to schools on an as-needed basis to provide full-time coverage at a school. School Resource Officers are assigned full-time to one campus.

In addition, the bill requires that schools must demonstrate they are unable fill a School Resource Officer position before they can receive funds for a School Safety Officer and submit a detailed plan to ADE to approve.

A school must submit a plan to ADE on how officers will be trained on FERPA, civil rights, and adolescent mental health issues.

The proposal also exempts school blueprints and floor plans from public records requests and adds a requirement for a school mental health professional guidance manual like the manual for School Resource Officers. The manual must be consistent with the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

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Click here to view HB 2400.

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

Supt. Horne statement on today’s English Language Learner hearing

Court does not issue a timeline for decision

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has issued his reaction to today’s Maricopa County Superior Court hearing on English Language Learner instruction.

Today’s Declaraty Judgement Action was brought by the defendants in a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Horne to require public schools to follow the voter-approved Arizona constitutional amendment that requires that “…all children in Arizona public schools shall be taught English by being taught in English, and all children shall be placed in English language classrooms.” Schools that do not follow this model are in violation of the law.

The defendants in this case include Governor Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes and ten Arizona school districts.

Horne stated, “My attorney, Dennis Wilienchik, did an excellent job in court. He demonstrated that the language of Proposition 203, the English immersion law that was overwhelmingly passed by voters, is clear. The actions of the Governor, Attorney General and ten school districts that are party to this lawsuit are in violation of that law by pursuing dual language programs, which Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected. The lawsuit I have filed only seeks to have a declaration from the court of what the law states. There is no attempt to pursue any other legal remedy from anyone.

Conversely, if the Governor, Attorney General and the school districts persuade the judge in this matter to find in their favor, based on the technicalities that they asserted, the legal consequences for school district board members and superintendents are draconian.

The language of Proposition 203 allows for parents of public-school students in any Arizona district to sue any district – including other districts - in violation of this statute. If such a lawsuit is successful, the school board members and superintendent of a district found to be in violation of the law are removed from their positions and cannot run for any public office in education for five years. There are parents prepared to file such a suit, but I have asked them to wait for the decision of this court so that such a draconian penalty could be avoided.

What I cannot understand it why ten districts joined the Governor and Attorney General in urging a judge to dismiss this lawsuit on highly technical grounds. If that happens, board members and superintendents at districts violating Proposition 203 will be subject to those draconian consequences. By their position against my attempt to get clarification of the law, without any further consequences, they are seriously hurting themselves.”

The court did not suggest a timeframe for a decision.

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For immediate release: January 9, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne requiring districts and charters to report on state-mandated Holocaust education

Sets late January deadline

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is asking that all Arizona district and charter schools report their compliance with state law that requires students to be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides. Horne set a deadline of January 24 for the information to be sent to the Department of Education.

Horne said, “During the past three months we have learned all-too-well how many people are ignorant about the realities of the Holocaust and other genocides of history. We have heard about pro-Hamas and anti-American propaganda being spread in a high school student club, students being intimidated because of their ethnicity, and we have seen pro-Hamas protests on college campuses.”

He added, “Expressions of hatred like this are unacceptable in an educational setting and a powerful way to combat this scourge is with learning. Students would not be vulnerable to antisemitic propaganda if they had received proper Holocaust instruction. I’m grateful state law exists to require instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides, and it is important to ensure that districts and charter schools are in compliance.

Here is the text of the email:

Please report us by close of business on January 24th, 2024, what you are doing to implement ARS section 15–701.02 regarding instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides. Please indicate how much time is devoted to the subject and what you use for curriculum.

The Arizona Department of Education provides resources, training, and support for educators in meeting House Bill 2241 requiring students to receive instruction in the Holocaust and other genocides at least once in middle school and once in high school through our Arizona Holocaust and Genocide Education Resource webpage - /standards-practices/holocaust-and-genocide.

This assistance is optional, but compliance with state statute is obligatory.

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Note: Holocaust photo credit: Eisenhowerlibrary.gov

For immediate release: January 2, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
 

Superintendent Horne’s response to Governor’s ESA proposal

PHOENIX - State schools chief Tom Horne has issued the following statement in response to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ proposal for potential changes to the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program:

“My job is to administer the ESA program in line with state law, and if changes are made the Department of Education will follow them.

However, one proposal stands out because it’s already in place: The governor recommends a manual review of ESA purchases over $500. My office already reviews all expense requests regardless of amount, unlike the previous superintendent who approved many frivolous requests. In 2023, we rejected several thousand ESA applications for lack of adequate documentation and suspended almost 2,200 accounts totaling $21 million because the student was enrolled in a public school. We’ve also rejected more than 12,000 ESA purchase order requests.”

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For immediate release: December 21, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne refutes inaccurate claims about ESA spending and upcoming report

Governors office and ADE in discussion for weeks

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued the following response to a news release from the Governor’s office making inaccurate claims about the Empowerment Scholarship Program and a report due her office:

Horne stated, “The Department of Education has been in contact with the Governor’s office for nearly three weeks regarding this issue. They are fully aware that we are preparing the report she has requested. Nothing is being withheld.

The report is in addition to the ESA quarterly report submitted to the State Board of Education and contains much of the same information. It is also a new report that was authorized in legislation earlier this year.

The frivolous ESA spending approvals occurred under the administration of the Governor’s friend, Kathy Hoffman. By contrast in the first quarter of Fiscal 2024 alone, this department reviewed more than 15,000 ESA applications, rejecting thousands that were incomplete. We also suspended 2,200 accounts because the child was enrolled in public school, saving $21 million. Also, the latest figures show that current overall public education spending has a surplus of no less than $57 million, proving the ESA program has not impacted the state budget.

Finally, and most importantly, Merry Christmas!”

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For immediate release: December 20, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
 

2023 in review: Horne promotes school safety and tackles legal issues facing students and parents

Leveraging prior experience as Attorney General

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne, who also served as Attorney General from 2011 to 2015, used his considerable legal experience to protect the interests of Arizona students, parents and educators in 2023.

Horne said, “When I announced I was running to be superintendent, many friends told me I was going backwards since I had once been Attorney General. But I told them the state’s biggest problems are in education. This has manifested itself several times in 2023 as I have had to go to court to protect girls’ sports and the English language law. I’ve also made it a priority to make schools safe from attack and hired a highly experienced school safety director to spearhead that effort.”

In early 2023, Horne began implementation of the nearly $100 million school safety grant program that places armed police officers on school campuses. He urged schools to prioritize this, noting that any delay in implementing this goal would leave schools more vulnerable to a tragic catastrophe. The number of law enforcement officers in schools has nearly doubled.

Later in the year, Horne unveiled a new program that will make it possible for every available campus law enforcement officer position to be filled, despite ongoing shortages of officers in many communities. As a result, more positions in the already-funded School Safety Program will be filled with armed law enforcement officers with no new funding required.

Additionally, Horne recommended, and the State Board of Education approved, just over $45 million to pay for 566 counselors and social workers.

The safety of girls’ sports has also been a priority of Superintendent Horne in 2023.

In April, he warned that a proposed Biden administration change to Title IX, the federal law that creates a level playing field for women’s sports, would decimate the law.

A short time later, Horne was named a defendant as a lawsuit was filed challenging the state law that prohibits biological boys from playing on girls’ teams. Horne is the only remaining defendant in the case since the other named parties declined to defend the law.

The filing explains that the disruption and the unfairness caused to others by Plaintiffs insisting on unfairly competing against biological girls is undeniable. This would be devastating to girls who hope to excel but cannot because they are competing against biological boys and being deprived of scholarships.

This court action is ongoing.

Protecting the will of Arizona voters became the argument of another court matter as Horne responded to Attorney General Kris Mayes’ threat against the voter-protected English language law.

Horne argues that the initiative specifically states that ‘all children in Arizona public schools shall be taught English by being taught in English, and all children should be placed in English language classrooms.’ The voter-protected initiative is not subject to being overruled by anyone. Horne subsequently sued the Governor and Attorney General in a case that is proceeding through the courts.

In autumn, the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel became an issue in Arizona as student clubs at a Phoenix-area high school distributed antisemitic materials. Horne stands squarely with Israel and has urged district superintendents to remove organizations that foment hatred from campuses.

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For immediate release: December 11, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
 

2023 in review: Making Arizona Department of Education a service agency a Horne priority

First act in office frees up $22 million in delayed payments to schools, educators

PHOENIX – A commitment to service is among the success stories of 2023 as state schools superintendent Tom Horne wraps up his first year back in office.

Horne previously served as superintendent between 2003 to 2011 and returned in 2023 to encourage academic excellence, empower parents and commit the department to a culture of service.

Horne noted, “Before my first term as state superintendent, I spent 24 years as a school board member of what was then the third-largest district in the state, and I was board president for 10 of those years. I also chaired the academic accountability committee when I was a member of the legislature. Serving others to improve Arizona’s education system is integral to increasing academic outcomes. That’s why I have undertaken multiple service initiatives.”

On the first day upon returning to office, Horne removed a bureaucratic delay dating to the prior administration and approved payments to schools and tutors who were owed a total of $22,234,151.48 from the second fiscal quarter of 2022. Horne also approved nearly 25,000 overdue requests from parents in the Empowerment Scholarship Account program.

The department also paid more than 1,500 tutors who had gone months without a paycheck and paid a small school that had explored getting a bank loan to cover expenses because their state payments had been delayed.

With the legislative session underway, Horne repeatedly expressed his support for a bill that would give Arizona teachers a $10,000 raise, putting Arizona in the top 10 of states for starting salaries.

Horne noted with some dismay that the National Education Association issued a statement about the importance of raising teacher salaries but the Arizona teacher’s union and a number of Democrats in the legislature opposed the bill. Horne believes these kinds of questions should be bipartisan.

Summer means no school session, but the work of the department continues with efforts to get rid of red tape in schools.

For example, each year, federal law requires schools to file a Comprehensive Needs Assessment explaining the tools and strategies needed to improve academic performance. Horne has directed that requirement to be reduced from a massive 168 questions to 20 questions.

The department is also implementing a significantly updated tool for the yearly Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) pilot program. It reduces administration time by more than 80 percent, permitting rapid identification of critical student needs. Now teachers will be able to spend more time on classroom instruction.

This change aligns well with the department’s renewed emphasis on service by providing more on-site school improvement teams statewide.

Horne noted that prior to returning to office this year, the department merely judged the performance of schools, but did not send teams to the field to help schools get better. He immediately reinstated the School Improvement Teams. The department also delivers updated and practical training on leadership and discipline practices and offers technical assistance in multiple program areas.

With the Superintendent’s pledge to root out elements of Critical Race Theory, and serve educators who wish to spend valuable instruction time on academic as opposed to ideologies, Horne established the Empower Hotline.

This service discovered that a school district had a training program for teachers that clearly states that certain Americans are ‘living under a system of white supremacy.’ That program was eliminated.

Other concerns raised include a spreadsheet distributed in a district with a list of pronouns chosen by students. The email and attached file clearly show the school withholding information from parents.

In another district, a lunch time Gay-Straight Alliance Club included the distribution of emancipation paperwork, which a parent only knew about because parents found it in their student’s backpack. Both are examples of activity contrary to Arizona law.

In Tucson, the department restored in-person teacher certification assistance and work is underway to provide similar services in other Arizona counties.

Also in southern Arizona, Horne announced the completion of $3.6 million in broadband projects to bring Internet fiber connectivity to Santa Cruz County. The department has brought a total of approximately $160M in fiber construction projects to schools and libraries in rural areas through the federal E-Rate Program in the past six years.

Horne concluded, “Arizona’s educators and support staff do tremendous work to ensure excellence in the classroom. This department is ready to serve. I will always be committed to my promise to deliver excellent service.”

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For immediate release: December 4, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
 

2023 in review: Horne’s first year back in office shows renewed focus on academic outcomes

Classroom time must be dedicated to academics

PHOENIX – A renewed focus on academic excellence and eliminating ideological distractions that rob students and teachers of precious instruction time for core subjects are some of state schools chief Tom Horne’s academic successes in his first year back in office.

Horne explained, “When I took office, I began demolishing any program or initiative in this department that was related to ideologies such as Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Critical Race Theory and excessive Social-Emotional Learning. Our focus will always be to ensure that teachers use precious classroom time to teach students academic subjects and not waste time on ideologies that don’t treat people as individuals but divide them through identity politics.”

Horne, who previously served as Superintendent from 2003 to 2011, immediately took on academic challenges upon returning in 2023, announcing in the spring that the department signed a $10 million contract with Project Momentum to ensure the program continues and expands to more Arizona schools after decision by the Governor’s Office to reevaluate its role in that program.

Project Momentum uses several basic principles for school improvement that include aligning classroom instruction with the teaching methods that get the best academic results.

Perhaps the most unique project undertaken in Horne’s first year is the creation of the Arizona Education Economic Commission where the department has joined forces with the private sector and representatives from the governments of Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Navajo Nation to create the Arizona Education Economic Commission, a collaboration between education and industry to encourage the development of workforce and economic opportunities for Arizona’s students.

The core mission of the Commission is to address the shortage of skilled workers in strategic industries and to give students and adults a pathway to valuable careers.

This year Horne also called on public schools that use “equitable,” or “standards-based” grading to abolish the practice.

In Arizona, several school districts use some form of equitable grading in which the baseline for a grade is not zero but begins at 50 percent. By that standard, what was a 20 percent grade on a 100-point scale would now be a 70 percent passing grade.

On the issue of using English in the classroom, Horne revealed a new data that conclusively demonstrates that structured English immersion is far superior for the academic success of students as opposed to dual language. The data compared five dual language schools with the best scores to the five structured English immersion schools with immersion showing far better results. He also warned that schools using the 50-50 language model are in violation of the law.

Noting that time is running out for states to fully utilize federal funding attached to COVID-related learning loss, in September Horne announced a $40 million tutoring program available to parents of elementary grade students to pay for free tutoring in reading, writing and math. The amount will pay for approximately 1.3 million hours of tutoring. As part of this project, participating public school teachers will earn added income as tutors. Private tutoring companies are also an option for parents.

Students in the Ganado Unified School District in the Navajo Nation received approximately 300 portable tablet devices at no cost as result of a public-private partnership between the on-profit organization My Life My Power and Smart Class Arizona founder Paola Tulliani Zen. The tablets are already loaded with the materials the students need to study reading and math without any need for an internet connection.

Horne concluded, “2023 has delivered many opportunities to focus on academic achievement. I am both grateful and impressed by the level of energy and commitment demonstrated by the 600 employees of this department, and the educators, administrators and support staff in Arizona’s public schools who are dedicated to academic excellence for our students.”

For more information; www.azed.gov

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For immediate release: November 28, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
 

Horne fires back at Save Our Schools for pattern of lying about ESA purchases

Also pushes back on criticism of him for fighting antisemitism in area high school

PHOENIX – State schools superintendent Tom Horne is refuting a series of lies being spread by Save Our Schools, saying the organization is using deceptive tactics to lie about Empowerment Scholarship Account reimbursements and Horne’s support for Jewish public school students.

Horne stated, “Contrary to a falsified document tweeted by Save Our Schools, no ESA parent has been reimbursed $500 to buy Legos. To be clear, district, charter and ESA students are allowed to use Legos. The issue here is a pattern of lying. Save Our Schools admitted they fabricated a document to make it look like a parent made a $500 purchase when she did not. By doing so they have misled both the Governor and a prominent newspaper columnist, both of whom have retweeted this lie.”

A screenshot from an X (formerly Twitter) post is attached and shows the communications person for Save Our Schools acknowledging the post was fabricated.

He continued, “This is a longstanding pattern by Save Our Schools. They continue to say that outlandish purchases such as trips to Disney parks, personal vacations, food items, ocean cruises and the like are being approved as ESA expenses when they are not. The interesting thing is that Save Our Schools not only lied and fabricated but turned the actual facts on their head. Approvals like those came during the prior superintendent’s administration led by a friend of the leader of Save Our Schools, and one of my first acts in office was to put an end to it.”

Horne added, “Just days ago when the communications manager for Save Our Schools spoke before a legislative committee regarding ESAs, he failed to identify himself as a paid employee of that group. He is entitled to speak, but omitting the fact he is paid to espouse views opposing the ESA program is another deception.”

He proceeded, “As bad as this is, Save Our Schools has gone even further by retweeting a heavily biased news article that characterizes my opposition to antisemitic material being disseminated at a high school club as a ‘lie’. To call that a lie you must demolish the truth to push a pro-Hamas one-sided antisemitic agenda, which is what the New Times reporter did.

Jewish parents came to me and said their students had experienced hatred and were afraid to go to school because a one-sided pro-Hamas presentation created antisemitic attitudes among some impressionable students. To call me a liar for standing up for their point of view is to call those Jewish students and their parents liars - a reprehensible slur. These are public school students and Save Our Schools should be thoroughly ashamed for not standing against hatred and antisemitism, especially in the classroom.”

Horne concluded, “Parents have the fundamental right to choose the school that best fits the needs of their children. Options such as charter schools, open enrollment and the ESA program are practical expressions of the value of school choice. Since the vast majority of Arizona parents (including myself) select to send their children to a neighborhood public school, lies and deception are obviously not needed to show support for public schools. Yet Save Our Schools continues to resort to shameful tactics again and again.”

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For immediate release: November 20, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
 

Department of Education announces student contest celebrating good character in citizenship

Part of Six Pillars of Character program

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne has announced a drawing, painting and poster contest celebrating Citizenship, which is one of the Six Pillars of Character, in the Character Counts program offered in many Arizona schools.

Horne said, “I am a strong proponent of the Six Pillars of Character which are, Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. I am very pleased to announce this contest promoting Citizenship, which emphasizes volunteering, cooperation, being informed and voting, knowing and obeying laws, choosing to protect the safety and rights of others and doing your share to make your home and community better.”

He added, “I believe every school in Arizona should be using the Six Pillars of Character program to help students understand these basic characteristics that, when followed, result in students having overall strong character and classrooms that have students who respect others. This is foundational for a healthy society.”

The contest has two levels, one for students in grades Kindergarten through 8 who can create a drawing, painting or poster that conveys the trait of Citizenship. The second level is for high school students to create a poster that supports character values on social media using the good Citizenship pillar. The competition is open to students enrolled in district, charter, private, and home schools. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2023.

The winners will be recognized at the Character Education Celebration Event to be held in January in Phoenix.

For more information and to apply: azed.gov/character-education Go to the “2023 Character Education Contest” Tab.

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