Horne doubles down on anti-critical race theory stance in state of education address
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne presented his formal state of education to the Arizona House of Representatives Education Committee on Tuesday afternoon. Besides addressing his plans to ensure the education improvement teams support educators and parents efficiently, Horne reassured the committee that he viewed his position as one of service. Horne expressed deep concerns that the state’s system is failing students, citing that two-thirds aren’t proficient in math.
According to the University of Arizona’s Making Action Possible’s Student Achievement Report, Arizona ranked sixth in 8th-grade end-of-the-year testing math scores compared to 10 other Western states. In 2021, 35% of all Arizona students passed the AzM2 in English Language Arts. Only two counties surpassed the state average, with Maricopa at 37% and Greenlee at 42%. Overall, the number of students passing the AzM2 collapsed by more than 11% between 2019 and 2021.
One of the ways Horne suggested the districts prioritize education is by eliminating distractions. Horne read a letter from a teacher who claimed that social and emotional learning pulled away from the curriculum. He suggested bringing back punishment for distracted students while denying that he was pro-corporal punishment in the classroom. “[I] want to bring back suspension and expulsions to get parents’ attention,” he said. “Students want structure, but they will test the teacher.”
When addressing the expansion of the aggregate expenditure limit, Horne said he plans to bolster accountability among districts. Voters passed the AEL in 1980 to create a spending limit among school districts. Horne leaned heavily into his views on critical race theory, saying, “race is entirely irrelevant to everything. The district’s job [is to] not pay attention to sex, gender identity, or anything else. It’s an urban myth that critical race is only a graduate program and not taught in public schools.”
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