About the Arizona Scholarship Fund

by David SafierI began researching this post by looking through reader comments on what I had written about tuition tax credits and School Tuition Organizations (STOs) in May. I came across a comment from ChamBria J Henderson, the Executive Director of the Arizona Scholarship Fund (ASF). Looking through yesterday's article in the Republic and multiple … Read more

Tuition tax credits, STOs exposed in Republic, East Valley Tribune

by David SafierToday has been a great day for investigative journalism in Arizona, and for shedding light on the shady practices of School Tuition Organizations (STOs) and the way they give out tuition tax credits. As regular BfA readers know, I've posted often and in great detail on both topics, and readers' comments have carried … Read more

A stimulating budget question

by David SafierI finally got around to reading Steve Farley's email, posted below by Blue Meanie. It's a depressing document if ever there was one. It reads like that old joke where someone is consoling a friend about his recent round of bad luck. "Look on the bright side, my friend, it could always be … Read more

AZ 12th best state for business

by David SafierCNBC has its 2008 rankings of states for businesses. Arizona comes in number 12 overall. How do our neighboring states rank? Texas is number 1, and Utah is number 3. New Mexico is at 38, and Nevada is way, way down at 45. Arizona, then, ranks pretty well, despite the howlings of the … Read more

The data-driven education dilemma

by David SafierOK, this is a tough one. There are so many on-the-other-hands here, I'm running out of hands. The Obama administration took aim on Thursday at state laws — adopted after heavy teachers’ union lobbying — barring the use of student achievement data to evaluate teacher performance. The federal Department of Education proposed rules … Read more