Voters have a choice on which direction they want to take public education for the next four years.
They can choose former Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne who is running on a platform of stopping the specter of critical race theory (which does not exist in K-12 schools) from being taught in classrooms and has been embroiled in several campaign finance and vehicle speeding scandals over the last decade.
Or
They can re-elect current Career Educator and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman whose tenure over the last three years has seen the:
- Restoration of good government, transparency, and accountability at the Department of Education.
- Development of strategies and initiatives to help recruit and retain more instructors. This includes a recent partnership with Donors Choose where teachers were able to apply for $1,000 supply grants. It also includes the creation of the first Arizona Teacher Residency Program.
- Working to make sure all education stakeholders were safe and protected during the COVID 19 Pandemic.
- Support of measures to ensure all students of the LGBTQ are treated fairly and with dignity.
- Expansion of laptop and internet hot spot access in impoverished urban and rural communities.
- Issuance of school safety grants that have enabled schools to hire additional counselors and social workers. This has caused a reduction in the Student to Counselor ratio.
- Creation of a school safety task force and a statewide student council.
- Advocation for the repeal of the State Aggregate Spending Limit for Public Schools.
Superintendent Hoffman graciously took the time to discuss her 2022 reelection campaign.
The questions and her responses are below.
- Please tell the voters at least three reasons they should vote for you over Mr. Horne.
- “Because I am a career educator, not a career politician. The actual position should be filled by someone who is an actual educator with my experience.
- Over the past four years, I have been able to bring stability to the Department of Ed and the two boards (Board of Ed and Charter Board) and my tenure is in marked contrast to the scandals and corruption of the Republican officeholders who held the office over the last two decades.
- I understand the current needs of our students and school leaders after going through the pandemic and the needs of our schools moving forward from the pandemic whereas Mr. Horne is focused on 20-year-old issues like ESL and I see the benefit of children learning multiple languages and I want to move forward while Mr. Horne wants to move backward. I am focused on the issues Arizonans care most about. The critical race theory that Mr. Horne is focusing on is meant to sow distrust in our schools and public teachers.”
- Please advise what are at least three main Priorities in the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction race. Please explain.
- “Educator recruitment and retention. I have been working on this since day one. We must have well-trained and well-qualified teachers in our classrooms in order for Arizona to move forward. It has been a major priority and makes pay competitive with neighboring states like New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. It is important to have a Superintendent that supports teachers and works with them to lift them up and their students. That is why we have invested COVID Recovery dollars to invest in recruitment and retention strategies like creating the first of its kind teacher residency program in partnership with NAU as well as many educator mentoring programs.”
- “The schools also need the security of knowing they have the freedom to spend what they are budgeted for, which is why I called for a special session for the legislature to repeal the AEL before the next session. I have been advocating for the relic of a law to be repealed permanently.”
- Students’ mental health by increasing the number of counselors, social workers, and mental health workers. With the School Safety Grants, we have added hundreds of mental health professionals since I took office.
- Closing the Digital Divide. The Final Mile Project and working with the City of Phoenix on the number of laptops in partnership with the business community has helped improve access for low-income families across the State. We have also launched a partnership with Cox on an internet plan that has also targeted low-income families.”
- Please describe your campaign strategy to reach voters in all of Arizona’s 15 counties.
“Since day one, I have made sure to visit all schools in all 15 counties and talk with voters and discuss educational issues and challenges with them. I will continue to do that this year and through a second term.”
- Please describe how you will convince Independents and disaffected Republicans to vote for you.
“It is important to stay focused on the well-being of all our kids and improve communications between schools and the community. As a new parent, it has given me a new appreciation of strengthening partnerships and communication between communities and families no matter what your political affiliation is. I do not believe that politics belongs in our schools or classrooms.”
- Is there anything not covered in the first four questions you would the readers to know about you and your candidacy? Please explain.
“I have been able to work across as the aisle to bring stability to our schools and rebuild trust with the people in the Department of Education after years of mismanagement and scandal.
I have worked closely with the County Superintendents, no matter what their political party is, and stayed in close communication, especially during the pandemic, so they could coordinate better with their district schools.
Also being a new mom has given me more appreciation for issues I already supported like early childhood education, universal pre-k, full day kindergarten, and paid maternity and paternity leave.”
Please click on the below social media links to find out more about Superintendent Kathy Hoffman and her re-election campaign.
https://www.electkathyhoffman.com
https://www.facebook.com/electkathyhoffman
Just remember the two hacks who came before her, the H and H disasters. She is great and doing and saying the correct the right things to support public schools, even in the face of anti-public school legislative majorities, with their scare tactics over made up issues.