Dr. Word: Ninja chess master playing rope-a-dope?

by David Safier I'm enjoying the terms being tossed around by pundits who believe that, far from being caught unawares, Obama is playing crafty political games with the Republicans during the stimulus debate, luring them into difficult positions as they tire themselves out with their overblown rhetoric. Putting the images together, Obama is a ninja … Read more

What teachers are hearing

by David Safier During a teacher's meeting at an Arizona school this week, the teachers were told about some ideas being bounced around concerning the 2010 round of budget cuts for K-12 schools: Cuts of about $1,000 in spending per pupil. Salary cuts ranging from $4,00-6,000. Getting rid of the experience index for teacher salaries. … Read more

Why does this sound familiar?

by David Safier From columnist Nicholas Kristof's blog: The effort to prune the stimulus package to make it more palatable to Republicans is focused on slashing money for education. The proposed cuts, by various accounts, include $40 billion to help states (in large part with education budgets), possibly $14 billion for Pell grants, and $14 … Read more

Does that mean Arizona education is on life support?

by David Safier A week ago I spotlighted this comment from Jon Kavanagh about the effects of Republican's budget hatchet: "There are painful cuts but none are lethal, so it appears." I guess Kavanagh is enamored with his life-or-death analogy. In a form email he sent out Thursday to anyone who complained about the budget … Read more