David Gordon

Living in Arizona since his family moved to Tempe from New York in 1982, David Gordon has three degrees from Arizona State University and the University of Phoenix in History, Political Science, and Secondary School Administration. A highly qualified Social Studies instructor and Certified School Principal, Mr. Gordon owned his own charter school, Grand Canyon College Preparatory Academy from 1997-2016. The school served students in grades 6-12 in the East Valley of Maricopa County. Many of the graduates of GCP earned college credit for free while still attending high school, some completing the first year of college before graduating. Among the speakers at the school's graduations were noted figures in Arizona Politics like Harry Mitchell, David Schweikert, Juan Mendes, Andrew Sherwood, and John Huppenthal. Mr. Gordon also participated in the revisions of the Arizona History and Social Studies standards. In January 2017, Mr. Gordon started the political blog Twenty-First Century Progressive Bull Moose. It has a global following and routinely comments on the political events of the day. Mr. Gordon also helps administer the Facebook page Living Blue in Arizona. He is also a science fiction writer and has just completed two series. The first one, Jigsaw: Beginnings, Warheads, and Full Circle. All are available on Amazon. The second Jigsaw Series: History's Forgotten: Parts One, Two, and Three are also out on Amazon. The seventh book, Jigsaw: Powder Keg should be released in November 2023. Mr. Gordon is very happy to be asked to join the Blog for Arizona team and hopes to spread the progressive word to make Arizona a better place for everyone.

Hoffman declares, “Arizona’s Teacher Shortage is Nothing Short of a Crisis”

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Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman

In a jammed packed Hearing Room One at the Arizona State House with several television news crews, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman gave her State of Education address before the mostly assembled House Education Committee (State Representative Townsend was absent).

While touching on the themes she has consistently spoken on since being a candidate like greater accountability for all public and charter schools and the Department of Education, increased school funding, more resources, and staffing for ELL, Special Education, Counseling, and Psychologists, anti-bullying preventive measures, getting rid of laws that permit Anti LGBTQ behavior, restoring early education funding, respect for all forms of diversity, and a desire for bipartisan collaboration between her department, the Governor’s office, and the legislature, Superintendent Hoffman devoted a substantial portion of her remarks (a link to the full address is below) on the teacher shortage, especially in our rural areas, commenting that “Arizona’s Teacher Shortage is Nothing Short of a Crisis” that threatens the “future of our state” which “is on our schools.”

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Allen Sales Tax Plan to help fund Education is deemed “regressive” by many Democrats.

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Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said work needs to be done to “find sustainable and dedicated revenue streams to fund our schools.”

Education funding after last years Red for Ed Movement will continue to dominate discussions in Arizona Political and Economic Circles this year and next.

While the 20 percent raises for instructors and staff over two years and other increases in education funding  (like extending Proposition 301) passed by the legislature are certainly helpful, it still does not fully address the funding shortfall of public schools in Arizona in 2019. For that matter, it does not rectify the funding shortfall at 2008 levels.

What is to be done to bring public school funding up to 2019 levels?

Governors Ducey’s 2019 budget, according to Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman is a step in the right direction but work must be done to “find sustainable and dedicated revenue streams to fund our schools.”

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What took so long for Republicans to file a complaint against David Stringer?

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LD 1 State Representative David Stringer, a “radioactive” and “repulsive” figure.

As noted in yesterday’s piece on the “Tyranny of the Majority at the Arizona House of Representatives,” House Democratic Minority Whip Reginald Bolding made a motion to institute expulsion proceedings against Legislative District One  Representative David Stringer after it was revealed that he was the subject of sexual misconduct charges while living in Maryland 35 years ago.

The Speaker of the House, Russell Bowers ruled that Representative Bolding was out of order and Republicans were spared having to vote in support of such a “radioactive” and “repulsive” figure who, like Don Shooter last year, has not seen the need to resign for this revelation and for his racist comments over the last several months.

To their credit, Republican House Member Kelly Townsend finally led the way in referring the Stringer matter through a complaint to the House Ethics Committee. If the complaint against Stringer proceeds without any new revelations or insights, the entire House may then proceed to vote to censure or expel him.

The question for Republicans is what took so long to file the complaint?

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Tyranny of the Majority at the Arizona House of Representatives

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A House Committee Hearing on Education was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 28. It did not start at 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m.

Instead, the people who gathered to attend the hearing (many of whom were members of Save Our Schools Arizona)  were treated to a different educational experience by either watching the House of Representatives session on  ACTV or taking the elevator to see the proceedings on the third-floor gallery.

They were able to witness the Arizona House Republicans demonstrate what tyranny of the majority looks like by attempting to ram through new rules (some of them changed for the first time in 72 years)  for the legislative session, some of them designed to stifle and reduce debate.

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