Citizen, Star Take on Horne

by David Safier

Horne: Butt out of local schools, La Raza program.

Horne must stop grandstanding on ethnic studies.

Those are the editorial headlines in the Friday Citizen and the Saturday Star. And so, for the second time this week, I find myself praising our dailies’ editorials, which, I have to say, is not my usual habit. But I also have to say: Credit where credit is due.

From Friday’s Citizen:

Horne spends too much time roosting on his political perch and pecking away at what he doesn’t like about schools, especially aspects of the Tucson Unified School District’s Ethnic Studies program.

[snip]

His comments reveal just how little he knows about a program that not only has a track record of helping improve student achievement, but also is a key component of educating young people – and all, for that matter – about the diversity of origins in this country.

From Saturday’s Star:

Horne has been on a crusade for several years against TUSD’s ethnic studies program, specifically its Mexican American/Raza Studies courses. He wraps his complaints in the flag and offers rhetoric about judging people as individuals and not by what race or ethnicity they happen to be born into.

These statements hide the political opportunism. He’s singing a sadly familiar song.

Horne is clearly playing to his base. But I hope he’s learning, Tucson will not give him a free ride on this one.