Show Me The Money, Senator Bee!
March 27, 2008
by David Safier (TASL) I agree with almost everything Tim Bee said in his op ed, Goal: Affordable, accessible universities. But there’s a serious problem here. The most powerful man in the Arizona Senate has floated all kind of feel-good educational proposals without a penny of new funding to back them up. The op ed
Mandatory Recess for Grades 1-6 in Arizona Schools?
March 27, 2008
by David Safier One of our readers, Steve Gall, a retired teacher, was up in Phoenix arguing in front of the Senate K-12 Committee that recess should be required in all elementary schools. (Steve is quoted in the article.) Steve posted a comment about his experience at the end of my latest diatribe about after
Emily Bittner Rules The Octagon
March 26, 2008
I just love to watch a good sparring match. I prefer mixed martial arts, but Emily Bittner (AZ Dems’ Communications Director) taking apart House Republican Spokeman Barrett Marson is nearly as fun—and almost as bloody. Of course, your view of who wins the this ep of Horizon’s One On One depends entirely on your sympathies
New Study Supports Comprehensive Sex Ed
March 26, 2008
by David Safier Awhile back I wrote about Napolitano turning down abstinence-only sex ed money from the feds. A few days ago, a commenter asked which other states had turned down the money. I couldn’t find an answer, until today, when I read about a new study that concluded students who had abstinence-only education were
Cut Tucson School Staff or After School Sports?
March 26, 2008
by David Safier TUSD is talking about cutting somewhere between 100 and 282 positions due of its current budget shortfall. Yet I have heard not a single word about the possibility of saving money by cutting back on after school sports programs. It hasn’t been mentioned as a possibility or issued as a threat. Schools
Tucson Schools Audit Results
March 26, 2008
by David Safier (TASL) The results of the independent audit of TUSD are in. According to the report, we can save $18 million over five years by making a number of changes, including closing 10 schools and programs. The Star doesn’t break down the cuts in a meaningful way, probably because it dosen’t have the
HCR 2038: The Arizona Republican Legislature’s Backdoor TABOR
March 26, 2008
Unable to summon the political will to control spending though they control the state legislature, the Republicans want to put the state on a starvation diet that will affect the health, education, public safety, and welfare of every Arizona citizen. Their means for accomplishing their evisceration of the public fisc is House Concurrent Resolution 2038,
Sheila Tobias on Donna Branch-Gilby for Pima County Supervisor
March 25, 2008
Sheila Tobias, a well-known educator and activist here in southern Arizona recently has been circulating her endorsement of Donna Branch-Gilby over incumbent Sharon Bronson in the Democratic primary for District 3 Pima County Supervisor. I thought it really well done, and worth a read for anyone trying to understand why Donna is challenging an incumbent
