education

Strange way for the head of the AZ Chamber to act

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Crossposted from DemocraticDiva.com

Glenn Hamer
Glenn Hamer: “You know, [business considering locating in AZ], you have a pretty face but would be cuter if you’d lose a few pounds!.”

It has long been my understanding that business leaders care deeply about education. They want skilled workers and the quality of school systems is a major factor in decisions about where they will locate new plants and corporate headquarters, so the conventional wisdom goes. But this must not be true for some of them, because this Saturday AZ Republic oped by Glenn Hamer, President of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, was strangely querulous and snide in response to a report that Phoenix was turned down by at least one company due to Arizona’s poor reputation in education.

A recent report that two companies passed over the Phoenix area for relocation is raising big questions about our state’s economic development strategy and our education system.

What can we do better to land top employers? Is our K-12 system up to snuff to attract the most demanding firms? Do we have enough quality schools?

The central question we should be asking, however, is whether these companies had access to Google. A simple search would have revealed that Arizona is an excellent place to invest and grow for a number of reasons, including our educational system.

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Choice of 2 Democrats for AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Two Democrats Dr.David Garcia and Sharon Thomas  are running in the Arizona primary (August 26) for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction.  The winner of this race will face of the winner of the Republican primary between incumbent John Huppenthal and Diane Douglas.

In case you haven’t cast your early ballot and prefer to vote later, or on election day, there’s still time to consider the 2 candidates on the Democratic ticket:

Dr. David Garcia, Associate Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.  Bio from Citizens Clean Elections Commission Voter guide:

Party:  Democrat     Campaign Funding:  Traditional     Web:  www.dg4az.com

As a 4th-generation Arizonan, public school parent and ASU professor, I know our schools,  students and state are not falling behind because of a lack of talent. We are racing to the  bottom because of a lack of vision and expertise at the top. Arizona’s public schools have been  struggling under the weight of increased demands and drastic funding cuts. We face an  alarming achievement gap, an overreliance on test scores over commonsense instruction, and a  lack of leadership from the state superintendent. I’ve devoted my career to improving our public  schools. I’ve been an education policy analyst, research director and Associate State  Superintendent for Standards and Accountability. I have the expertise and ideas that will  strengthen our public schools. As a professor, I’ve trained hundreds of Arizona’s educators. I  know what our teachers need to be successful in the classroom, and I am proud to have the endorsement of the Arizona Education Association and party leaders such as Fred DuVal. Our schools are not better off than they were four years ago, and we can’t afford more of the same. End the status quo. Vote for strong schools and a  stronger Arizona. Vote David Garcia!

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Brewer on Immigrant Prisoner Release: Misplaced Blame

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by Pamela Powers Hannley Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is pissed off at President Obama for releasing immigration prisoners from jail. She believes that the administration is playing some sort of high school payback game to punish Arizona. Puleeezzz. If Brewer wants to blame someone for the nationwide immigrant prisoner release, she should blame Arizona Senators … Read more

Republicans & non-voters shouldn’t whine about school closures (video)

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51st-15-sm72by Pamela Powers Hannley

As I was reading Arizona Daily Star education reporter Alexis Huicochea's Tweets from the latest public school closure hearing on last Saturday, I wondered to myself: How many of these parents– who are now gnashing their teeth about their kid's school– voted Republican or didn't vot at all?

Remember 2010, when the Repulbicans swept all of Arizona's statewide offices and won a super majority in the Arizona Legislature? Things were bad before that, but our state really slid into dark times with Governor Jan "George Wallace in a Skirt" Brewer and her henchmen– Attorney General Tom "Kill MAS" Horne, Public Instruction Head John "Charter Schools" Huppenthal, Secretary of State Ken "Birther" Bennet, and former State Senate President Russell "Get the Messicans" Pearce– in charge. They are the reason that Tucson Unified Schools District (TUSD) has a $17 million short fall. They are the reason TUSD is closing schools, increasing class sizes, and laying off teachers. And, actually, you are the reason, too.

Parents, grandparents, and activists– if you voted for Republican legislators, the governor, and her gang of thieves and/or voted against continuation of the sales tax for education and jobs (prop 204) OR didn't vote at all– shut up about school closures. You got want you wanted– smaller government, impoverished public education, and millions of dollars of corporate welfare. Hurray for the 1%! Screw you, children of Arizona. 

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