by David Safier I hope I’m wrong. But I fear I’m not. Of the four schools slated for closure, the most likely to be shut is Ochoa Elementary. When I read the Thursday op ed in The Star, Closing Ochoa would hurt families, I thought, I’ve been through this movie before. Here’s the basic plot. … Read more
by David Safier Yesterday I suggested we could save 4 Tucson elementary schools as well as a handful of librarians and counselors by cutting the after school sports programs. I admit, I have no figures telling me how much the sports programs cost Tucson Schools, but I imagine if you tallied the obvious as well … Read more
by David Safier From today’s Citizen: Many Arizona school districts are shedding librarians and cutting their hours. Sigh. The No Child Left Behind Act also has not been kind to librarians. It has emphasized scientific-based, scripted reading programs based on drills, said Ann Dutton Ewbank, an Arizona State University librarian. It has devalued and left … Read more
by David Safier (TASL) You’ve waited 16 years, kids. What’s another five weeks between friends? That’s the attitude of the House Majority Leader Tom Boone (R-Peoria) and his Republican friends in the legislature working in concert with the Ed. Supe’s office. They convinced Judge Collins to give them until April 15 to come up with … Read more
by David Safier Today, I’m not wearing my Tax-And-Spend Liberal hat. Rather than saying we should fund every worthwhile educational program in our schools, I’m going to play the pragmatist and deal with things as they are, not as I wish them to be. As things are today, Tucson Unified only has so much money. … Read more