by David Safier Fine the Governor if the Arizona legislature doesn’t meet the April 15 ELL funding deadline? That sounds grossly unfair. And yet . . . The attorney for the parents suing over ELL funding says Napolitano could do more to move this thing forward, even though the actual funding is the responsibility of … Read more
Pima County Public Defender Robert Hooker killed in crashI didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Bob very well personally. A few interactions, a dignified presence in the halls of Superior Court, and an enormously respectful reputation shared in all quarters the Arizona Bar are my only connections to him. But I’m feeling his passing greatly. … Read more
by David Safier (TASL) I hold this truth to be self-evident. Anyone who uses the phrase, “government can’t just throw money at public education” is not in favor of increasing educational spending. Arizona’s own John McCain is the only presidential candidate left standing who uses the phrase. In a recent speech, he said, “Government can’t … Read more
by David Safier Colin Powell and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings have gotten together to say that high school graduation rates are too low, and they are lowest in cities with high rates of poverty. Powell and Spellings are wrong so often, my first reaction is, “If they say graduation rates are low, they’re probably approaching … Read more
The Arizona Daily Star has recently filled a real vacuum in local civil society by encouraging Tucsonans to take a closer look at what kind of place they want to live in the future. I have quibbles, of course, but they are to be commended for acting as a catalyst and resource for a community faced with some serious choices. There are deep divisions about our future course between those who seek to manage growth (either more or less) and those who believe the facts indicate that we are far past their point where we can just grow smarter, we need to stop growing.
The Star certainly provided some interesting raw data to chew on from their survey earlier this month. Admittedly, some of the questions were intolerably leading and biased, or just plain dopey. But there is some gold in there. I found some insights into Tucsonans’ attitudes toward water, transportation, and development.
Read more about what I see—and failed to see—in the data…