Republican base shrinking further?

by David Safier If the Arizona Republican Party can't count on business leaders to support them, who can they count on? The Tucson economic development group recently asked businesses what they most want the state Legislature to fund. The answer was resounding: education. About 77 percent of 600 respondents checked the box on the survey … Read more

Deregulated charter schools

by David Safier I've said it before and I'll say it again. I like the idea of charter schools, and I'm a big fan of the best charter schools. But I'm not a fan of Arizona's charter school system. Our economy is in a tailspin, the disastrous results of runaway free market capitalism. The invisible … Read more

This is a good idea

by David Safier This sounds right to me for so many reasons. Nine American Indian graduates of The University of Arizona's College of Education will begin their professional careers as teachers or administrative leaders on the Tohono O'odham Nation or in schools with high American Indian enrollment thanks to a program funded by Tohono O'odham … Read more

Ladies and gentlemen, your Republican Legislature!

by David Safier Today's editorial in the Citizen is none too happy with some Republican legislators. They're delaying the building of dorms at UA. Here's the truly weird part. Building more dorms won't cost the state any money. Most aggravating about this situation is the fact that the dormitory projects are funded by the students' … Read more

More on the private school tax credit

by David Safier I commented last night that I don't understand the mechanism of the private school tax credits, called back-door vouchers or neovouchers by those of us who dislike the idea. I know you can give money to private schools and get your money back when you pay taxes, but I don't know if … Read more