Urges respect for individual liberties

PHOENIX – Today marks the 238th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution and it is a day worth celebrating, says state schools chief Tom Horne.

Horne issued a video to Arizona schools earlier this week commemorating the historic document that establishes the rights and freedoms that were promised in the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Here is the text of that statement:

“One of the interesting things about the Constitution is that it demonstrates that the founders valued individual liberty above other democratic values, such as majority rule. We know this because if the majority passes a bill that unconstitutionally impinges on individual freedom, the United States Supreme Court, established by the Constitution, has the power to invalidate that law. This is true even though a majority of citizens might favor that law. Individual liberty takes precedence, even overruling the majority.

One of the rights established by the Constitution is freedom of speech. This right was so valued by our founders that it is extended by the language of the constitution to all people, not just all citizens. 

A disturbing recent trend has been surveys of college students where majorities think it’s all right to shut down somebody saying something you disagree with. This is very much contrary to our American ideals. He who wants respect must show respect. The concept of our Constitution is that if someone says something you disagree with, you have the right to express your own view and hopefully the truth will emerge from everyone having the right to contribute to the dialogue.

Respectfully responding to a contrary point of view is good mental exercise. Without that exercise people are not at their best in developing their own views. 

I remember when someone did a display at the Phoenix Art Museum where you had to walk over an American flag to look at a toilet. I was outraged. But as a result of this, there was more enthusiastic display of patriotism than I have ever seen before or since in the City of Phoenix. It was the outrageous display that caused people to show their patriotism.

There have been dictators or oppressive systems in other countries that have punished and even killed their own people for daring to express a contrary point of view or living their lives as they wish. By contrast, the United States has relied on its Constitutional foundation to defend freedom and protect the cause of liberty both in this country and throughout the world.

We are always just one generation away from losing our rights and liberties if some generation fails to respect our Constitution. Therefore, we are relying on you. Study the Declaration of independence, the constitution, and the other great documents of our history and defend the rights and freedoms of our Constitution. Don’t shout anyone down. Exercise your mind and respectfully make your case.”

Incident at Carl Hayden High School shows need

PHOENIX – A knife fight between two female students at Carl Hayden High School Monday shows the Phoenix Union district board made a major mistake by denying the school’s request for an armed officer to be paid for by the Arizona Department of Education earlier this year.

Horne said, “The safety of students, teachers and staff members at schools is not negotiable and a knife fight on the Carl Hayden campus Monday shows the dangers are increasing. This needs to stop immediately. The Phoenix Union governing board needs to reverse a terrible decision they made earlier this year when they rejected requests from the leadership of both Carl Hayden and Betty Fairfax high schools for armed officers on campus.”

He explained, “Yesterday, Phoenix Police reported that two female Carl Hayden students were in a knife fight that resulted in injuries. This proves the need for armed officers and demonstrates the utter lack of concern by the members of the Phoenix Union government board who rejected the request for officers that had been endorsed by the two schools and district administration. It was an outrageous dereliction of responsibility, and the board needs to reconsider this matter immediately.”

Pilot program includes mentoring, professional development

PHOENIX – A new pilot program focused on apprenticeships for aspiring educators is targeted to reduce the teacher shortage crisis in Arizona, according to Superintendent Tom Horne.

The Arizona Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program (AZ TRAP), developed in collaboration with the Arizona Office of Apprenticeship, offers a path to certification for little to no cost, more experience in classroom teaching, and a way of earning a wage while participating in the program.

Horne stated, “There is a crisis in Arizona, and we must take strong action. We are losing more teachers than are coming into the profession. If we don’t do something major, we could end up with zero teachers. There remains a need to focus on better teacher pay and for administrators to support teachers in student discipline, but apprenticeship programs are another tool to be used.”

He added, “Apprenticeships can help address this crisis is by encouraging the development of more educators. The AZTRAP apprenticeship program will increase accessibility to earning an Arizona teacher certification. The Arizona Department of Education is a service-oriented agency, and this effort is part of my commitment to training quality educators for Arizona classrooms.”

The program has secured $1.5 million in funding from the Maricopa County Workforce Development Board to support apprentices working in Maricopa County for the 2025-2026 school year.

Key Features include:

• A pilot program with Mesa Public Schools, Phoenix Union High School District, The Arizona Teacher Residency Program, and PLC Charter Schools. They will act as the employers of teacher apprentices and partners with the Arizona Department of Education.
   
• A pipeline of educators allowing future educators to gain thousands of hours of on-the-job learning with a mentor teacher, allowing them to develop invaluable classroom skills for longer periods of time.
   
• Grow Your Own Model: Allows school sites to select prospective employees and integrate them into their school culture and staff. Integrating educators earlier and with more intent will increase educator retention, keeping more quality teachers in the classroom.

PHOENIX – State schools Superintendent Tom Horne issued the following statement following the death of Charlie Kirk at a political event in Utah today.

Horne stated, “This is a tragic and despicable act of cowardice that has no place in American society. My deepest condolences go out to his wife and family who have suffered an unimaginable loss.

One of our cherished rights as Americans is the Constitutional protection of free speech and Charlie Kirk was practicing that right when he was cut down by gunfire. That is an attack on all our liberties, and we cannot tolerate this terrible scourge of violence.”

Proposal has support from law enforcement, elected officials

PHOENIX – Citing the increasing need to protect children, educators and staff on school campuses, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has submitted a $180 million legislative budget request to sustain and increase funding for the state’s School Safety Program. 

The current state funding for school safety, including the initial appropriation and carryover funds, is just over $128 million. There is an additional $20 million in federal dollars. Both sources are set to expire in 2026. The $180 million request, if approved, would ensure the current level of funding will continue and the added $32 million will allow for expanding the program for more officers and training.

Horne stated, “Over the past several weeks, our nation has witnessed terrible school tragedies. This problem is not going away, and we need to address it aggressively. Therefore, I am now making a budget request of the legislature to appropriate at least $180 million to make sure we have no gap in providing funding for armed officers on campuses. This request adds dollars to hire and train officers for more schools statewide to protect students, educators, and classified staff.”

He added, “The value of having armed officers on campuses is beyond dispute. One of the best examples occurred earlier this year when a heroic Tucson police officer arrested an armed intruder on a school campus during class hours. This criminal was armed with a gun and a knife and told the officer he was there to kill children and make them famous. The officer was on that campus because of funding through the department’s School Safety Program. In fact, he had been hired less than a month earlier using supplemental dollars my department made available. This program works and deserves more funding so it can be expanded. Every parent should want an officer on their child’s campus.”

Maricopa County Schools Superintendent Shelli Boggs said, "I will continue to advocate for school safety programs. This is about ensuring that every student, in every school, in every neighborhood, has the peace of mind that comes from knowing they are safe." 

Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan stated, "As Sheriff of Maricopa County, I strongly support Superintendent Horne's efforts to fully fund our school safety program to ensure all schools have these resources to protect our kids. There is no greater responsibility for society than to do everything possible to keep children safe, especially in a place of learning and growing. To that end, we currently have dozens of MCSO deputies participating in this program and additional funding will allow us to expand our services."

The request is part of the department’s budget request to be considered in the upcoming state legislative session.

AG sent letter to Superintendent today

PHOENIX – State schools superintendent Tom Horne says Attorney General Kris Mayes is misleading the public with claims she has leveled at the management of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

This statement is based on the text of a letter that will be sent in response to AG Mayes:

Horne states, “In your letter today, and in a recent television interview, you misled the public by stating that improper ESA purchases had been approved, without any reference to the fact that under risk-based auditing dictated by the legislature the money has been recovered or is in the process of being recovered. We have collected or are in the process of collecting more than $600,000 that was paid out for improper purchases.

You also criticize risk-based auditing. Risk-based auditing is a very common and appropriate practice used by auditors, and the ESA Director has more than 16 years’ experience as an auditor. The risk-based approach involves not approving purchases prior to review, but paying amounts under $2,000 subject to later review, which is how we were able to collect or be in the process of collecting more than $600,000.

You state that this is not partisan. That is disproved by all the false statements you made on the television interview.

Your argument is not with me but with the legislature. The legislature recently passed ARS section 15–2403B. It provides in part:

‘The department, in consultation with the office of the auditor general, shall develop risk-based auditing procedures for audits conducted pursuing to this subsection.’

The statute was passed because the department is operating with the same number of people to check purchases as had been given by the legislature when the program was 1/7th as large. The most recent House budget included an appropriation for more people to check purchases, but it had to drop that provision when the governor said that if it did not do so, she would veto the entire budget. The limit on personnel had meant delays for reimbursement or more than two months, which was an unbearable burden for parents who had already paid the money and needed reimbursement. This explains why the legislature wanted to add more staff to serve parents.

Again, you misled the public in your interview by stating that these improper items have been approved. They were not approved, and as to all the items you mentioned, the accounts have already been frozen. This is as egregious as ignoring the recovery of over $600,000, not to mention your failure to state that this procedure was dictated to us by the legislature and the ESA parent committee that you referred to set the limit at $2,000 pursuant to the legislative command to adopt risk-based auditing. It has been made clear to ESA users in multiple communications that payments of under $2,000 do not imply approval, which can be obtained only after the risk-based auditing dictated by the legislature.

You referred to a July 21 meeting of the legislative audit committee. Within four days we consulted with the auditor general. Some have erroneously interpreted the word ‘consultation’ to mean that the auditor general has the right to dictate terms to us. That is incorrect. The normal English language use of the word consultation is that we have a discussion, which we have done, and then proceed. However, we have agreed to have further consultations with the auditor general and will do so.

We will provide at a later date further responses to your long-winded letter of seven pages single space. We are responding now to the main points so you will have no further excuse to mislead the public.”

State lawmaker, daughter on Cartwright district board

PHOENIX – State schools superintendent Tom Horne says Cartwright Elementary School District Board members Lydia and Cassandra Hernandez should immediately resign their positions after deliberately causing a security disruption at Maryvale High School on Tuesday.

Horne stated, “This was an outrageous and indefensible stunt. For two school board members, one who is also a state legislator, to deliberately provoke a security disruption at a school is unconscionable. To do it at Maryvale High School where a student was tragically murdered in a classroom just a week earlier is unbelievably insensitive to the trauma that was inflicted on the students, teachers and staff of that school. These two board members should resign immediately.”

Lydia Hernandez is also a member of the Arizona House of Representatives.

According to the Phoenix Union High School District, the two women were “attempting to circumvent our safety systems and knowingly bringing an unauthorized weapon onto campus.” The Phoenix Union district reported the weapon in question is a box cutter. The district also confirmed neither woman is a parent of a Phoenix Union student.

Horne added, “The safety of our campuses is an absolute priority. Security personnel and safety officers need to do their jobs, and they cannot be diverted from protecting the campus by a juvenile and unnecessary act such as this. The actions of these board members show they do not appreciate the seriousness of ensuring campuses are safe places and the Cartwright Board must include members who are committed to school safety.”
 

Department of Education aggressive in rooting out fraud

PHOENIX – State schools chief Tom Horne says the only way today’s conviction of two people on charges of fraud using Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) dollars could happen was because the Department of Education discovered the activity in 2024 and referred it for prosecution.

Horne stated, “In a recent television interview, state Attorney General Chris Mayes outrageously and mindlessly accused me of permitting improper purchases such as lingerie and diamonds.  If she paid attention to her job or even to the news, she would know that this was a false charge.

To date we have collected or referred for collection more than $622,000 in improper purchases under the program where purchases for under $2,000 are paid but not approved immediately, subject to later audit. That method, called risk-based auditing, is a common practice in many federal and state agencies and is dictated by state law.  Without this program, reimbursements for expenditures would take over two months, putting a terrible burden on parents who have paid money and are entitled to reimbursements.

We have also won 16 appeals of improper expenses such as dune buggies, golf simulators and other unallowable items. In all those cases, the department has not received any support from the Attorney General’s office to ensure anyone who tried to defraud the system is held accountable. That appeals work is being done entirely by the Department of Education, and we have won them all.

The Department of Education has the same number of people authorized to review purchases as it had when it had one-tenth as man participants in the ESA program. The 12 people assigned to this task work very hard and courageously and can process 500 per day even though they get 1000 requests every day. Without this program, reimbursements for expenditures would take over two months, putting a terrible burden on parents who have paid money and are entitled to reimbursements.

In the most recent legislative session, the House of Representatives budget had an item for more people in the Department of Education doing this work, but Governor Katie Hobbs told them that if they did not remove it, she would veto the budget. As a result, they felt they had to remove it, because at that stage an unapproved budget would have resulted in a government shutdown. 

I am committed to doing everything possible to protect taxpayer resources and root out fraud and abuse.”

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued the following statement in response to the fatal stabbing of a student at Maryvale High School today.

Horne stated, “The death of a student as the result of a stabbing at Maryvale High School is a terrible tragedy. Schools must be safe places.

The on-campus school safety officer responded immediately, rendered aid to the student, and did his job well.

This terrible incident reinforces my commitment to doing everything possible to make schools safe.”

Says criminal should have faced more prison time

TUCSON – State schools chief Tom Horne says the armed Tucson man who broke into school grounds vowing to kill children at an east Tucson campus earlier this year deserves more punishment than today’s sentence of 18 months in prison followed by probation.

Daniel Hollander was arrested in January after breaking into an east Tucson school. He was armed with a gun and knife and was confronted and arrested by Tucson Police Officer William Bonanno, a school safety officer who had recently been assigned to the campus. Hollander was quoted as saying he intended to kill children and make them famous.

Horne issued this statement:

“In the sentencing at Pima County Superior Court today it came out that the prosecutor had recommended only one year in prison followed by 10 years of probation for someone who went into a school with a gun and a knife threatening to kill 20 students. The judge increased it to 18 months but could not do more in view of the prosecutor’s recommendation. As a former Attorney General, I know that the public is entitled to be protected from people like this defendant. Probation is not perfect. If this individual has a bad day, he could go into a school and kill students. In my opinion, the prosecutor’s recommendation should have been at least 20 years in prison to protect our children.

In this case, we avoided that tragedy by the skin of our teeth. Tucson Police Officer William Bonanno was the safety officer on campus. He was hired just two weeks before the incident.  He is experienced and brave, and after being alerted to a problem on campus, checked an open door, and found the would-be perpetrator with a gun and a knife. Because of his experience and courage, he did not wait for back up but immediately arrested the individual.

I have increased the number of police officers in our schools in the last two years from 190 to 585. Just prior to this incident, we found some unused funds and reopened opportunities to apply for grants, which is how funds were available to hire Officer Bonanno.

I urge the schools to consider that a maniac could invade a school and kill 20 students as has happened in other states and could happen here. This is my worst nightmare.”