Guests – Tom Horne, Scot Mussi, Jeff Davis, Jay Tolkoff

Arizona Education Update with Superintendent Tom Horne

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne joined Winn Tucson to discuss several pressing education issues affecting Arizona schools. As a former colleague of host Kathleen Winn, Horne addressed concerns about federal funding, ESA programs, and the ongoing battle against DEI in Arizona schools.

Federal Funding Released for Arizona Schools

Recent concerns about paused federal education funding have been resolved. Superintendent Horne clarified that despite public panic, the funds were never actually cut off—merely delayed while being studied to ensure they weren't funding DEI or critical race theory programs.

"When the funds were paused, a lot of people were panicking. There were women on TV crying," Horne explained. "But I made a public statement that said don't panic. They didn't cut it off. All they're doing is delaying while they study it. They want to be sure they're not funding DEI or critical race theory, which I agree with 100%."

Horne emphasized that the Arizona Department of Education acts primarily as a pass-through for these federal funds, which are now flowing again to schools. He also noted that most schools had enough leftover funding to carry them for six months, and the few without reserves could have adjusted their budgets temporarily, as the delayed funding represented less than 1% of their overall budgets.

The federal funding supports various educational initiatives, including programs for English language learners, leadership training, and resources for poorer schools, categorized under different "titles" in federal education funding.

School Calendars and Summer Learning Loss

Discussing school calendars across Arizona, Horne advocated for academic schedules that distribute breaks throughout the year rather than having one extended summer vacation.

"I'm a big fan of the calendar that doesn't have a long summer vacation, that has a couple of weeks off every six weeks or something like that," Horne said. "In the summertime, a lot of kids forget what they learned."

Horne highlighted research showing that when measured from September to May, students from lower-income families learn at the same rate as those from wealthier backgrounds. However, when measured September to September, wealthier students show faster progress due to summer enrichment activities their families can afford.

"The long summer vacation is very destructive of education," Horne stated, noting that the traditional summer break originated when children needed to help with agricultural harvests—a reality that no longer applies to most families.

Controversy with Governor's Office Over ESA Program Staffing

A significant point of contention has emerged between Superintendent Horne's department and Governor Hobbs' office regarding staffing for the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, which has grown dramatically in recent years.

"The ESA program had the same number of employees administering it here in this department when it was 11,000 as now when it's over 90,000," Horne explained. "They're badly overworked. They're working very hard, accomplishing amazing things."

According to Horne, his department can process about 500 requests daily but receives approximately 1,000, creating a significant backlog. Despite annual requests for additional funding to increase administrative staff proportional to the program's growth, those requests have been denied.

Horne described how the Arizona House had included additional funding in its budget, but "the governor said if they didn't take it out of their budget, she would veto it." Horne characterized the governor's spokesperson's subsequent claims that the department never asked for more money as false, calling it a case of "liar, liar, pants on fire."

The governor's spokesperson had criticized the department, suggesting they didn't want to fund a "wasteful bureaucracy." Horne countered, "The people who work for her don't even go to work. You want to reach someone at the Department of Administration, you get them at home. They don't bother to go into work. Here people come to work and work hard."

Horne defended ESA Director John Ward as "very heroic," noting his 19 years of experience in the Auditor General's office before running the ESA program. Ward has described his team as being in "survival mode" while focusing on their core mission: getting students into the program, reviewing purchases, and providing customer service.

Legal Battle Over English Language Immersion

Horne also discussed a recent setback in the Arizona Court of Appeals regarding Proposition 203, a voter-approved initiative from 2000 requiring structured English immersion for English language learners instead of bilingual education.

"It was overwhelmingly approved by the voters to say no more bilingual. Kids need to be in structured English immersion, learning English quickly so that they can succeed in their academics," Horne explained.

When Horne first took office as state superintendent in 2003, he found that his predecessors had not enforced the initiative. Under his leadership, the department implemented structured English immersion and trained teachers, increasing the percentage of students becoming proficient in English within one year from 5% to 31%.

However, Horne stated that after he left office to become attorney general, "things went backwards," with 10 districts now "blatantly violating the law." The Court of Appeals recently ruled that Horne's department didn't have standing to bring legal action, a decision Horne is appealing to the Arizona Supreme Court.

Simultaneously, Horne mentioned that his wife, an attorney, is bringing another action pro bono (with Horne helping as a paralegal) based on the initiative's provision that "any parent of any student in Arizona has standing to bring an action to enforce it."

Combating DEI in Arizona Schools

Addressing efforts to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs from Arizona schools, Horne noted that almost all districts signed statements required by the Trump administration affirming they would not implement DEI programs to maintain federal funding eligibility.

However, Horne revealed, "We're getting information indicating districts that are still doing DEI even though they signed a statement that they wouldn't." His department is forwarding this information to the federal government and awaiting instructions.

When asked specifically about Tucson Unified School District, Horne acknowledged receiving reports from parents suggesting the district has not changed its DEI practices despite potential federal funding implications.

Arizona Free Enterprise Club Takes On DEI in Schools

Following Superintendent Horne's interview, Scott Mussi from the Arizona Free Enterprise Club joined the program to discuss ongoing concerns about DEI programs in Arizona schools despite federal directives to eliminate them.

Schools' Quiet Resistance to DEI Elimination

Mussi reported that after researching various districts across the state, his organization found "a large lack of non-compliance by our K-12 schools with the Trump directive." He expressed concern but not surprise at this finding.

"We've worked on trying to pass state legislation to put greater restrictions and to ensure that K-12 schools are not engaging in DEI type programming," Mussi explained. "Really, the only way to make it really stick is you have to hit them where it hurts and hit it financially."

Mussi described districts engaging in "quiet resistance" where they avoid vocally opposing federal directives while continuing their DEI practices. When faced with scrutiny, he noted, many districts simply rename their programs while maintaining the same content and approach.

He cited Alhambra School District as an example of this tactic, noting they had rebranded their DEI efforts as "culture, conditions, and climate" while still stating a need to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"District after district playing games with it—they might drop a word out of it to try to make sure it doesn't come up on a word search if people are going and looking at these different programs," Mussi observed. "The reality is that many school districts have not changed course. The employees that are overseeing a lot of these types of programs in our various schools are still there."

Textbook Concerns in Scottsdale Schools

Mussi also highlighted controversial textbooks approved by Scottsdale Unified School District that include content about George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and what he characterized as "anti-law enforcement rhetoric."

When asked about the political makeup of the Scottsdale school board, Mussi described it as "one of the most radical ones in the state of Arizona." He noted that while two parents opposed to "radical curriculum" were elected to the five-person board in 2022, they remain a minority.

Mussi pointed to additional examples of schools maintaining DEI efforts under different names, including Desert Sage High School in Tucson, which "declares its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-bias education, and social justice" while aiming to increase its percentage of Hispanic and Native American students.

"It's all absurd," Mussi said. "You should just be trying to offer good education opportunity... If you do that, everyone benefits, including minorities and anybody that is disadvantaged in our system."

Reporting DEI Non-Compliance

Mussi encouraged parents and grandparents who observe schools not complying with DEI elimination directives to report these instances either to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club or directly to the Department of Education.

"Our intention is to continually flag these and notify the Trump administration and the Department of Education," Mussi stated. "We fully intend not just to keep highlighting this and highlighting these abuses but continue to work towards using everything we can at the state level through legislation and other means to make sure that we have the tools here in Arizona to stop this."

City Council Candidate Jay Tolkoff Discusses Tucson's Future

Jay Tolkoff, Republican candidate for Tucson City Council in Ward 6, joined the program to discuss his candidacy and vision for improving Tucson. Running unopposed in the Republican primary, Tolkoff shared his concerns about the city's direction and priorities.

Decision to Run for Office

After living in Tucson for over 40 years, Tolkoff explained that he had seriously considered leaving the city two years ago due to concerns about crime and the city's deteriorating conditions.

"I was on the verge of selling my house and all the other things that I have going on in town and moving," Tolkoff said. "The thought of not having to worry about my house being burglarized on a regular basis or being accosted every time I walk into a grocery store by somebody who is begging was like, well, that sounds really nice."

Ultimately, Tolkoff decided to stay and fight for change instead of starting over elsewhere at his age. "I think I'll just stick around and fight a little harder," he explained.

Lack of Diverse Perspectives on City Council

Tolkoff criticized the current City Council for its homogeneity of thought despite creating an office of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"The people that are on the City Council created an office of diversity, equity, and inclusion, but they don't seem to apply that when it comes to the City Council because the diversity of thought just really doesn't exist," Tolkoff observed. He pointed to consistently unanimous or near-unanimous votes as evidence of this problem.

"You might have a few people that occasionally will say, 'Oh, I don't necessarily agree,' but all you have to do is look at the votes. They're always seven to nothing, six to nothing, five to one."

Transit Issues and City Priorities

Discussing Tucson's fare-free transit system, Tolkoff acknowledged the value of providing transportation options for those without resources but criticized the implementation.

"In concept, it's a spectacular idea. Unfortunately, concepts need to be thought out thoroughly, and you have to anticipate the problems that are going to go along with it," Tolkoff said. He suggested that while helping people access transportation for jobs and medical care is important, the current open-door policy has created problems.

"We don't know who they are, they're not held accountable for any of their actions, they basically can operate with total impunity, and that's not okay," Tolkoff stated. He advocated for a system that would require users to register and demonstrate need or community membership.

Tolkoff highlighted the financial burden of the current approach, noting that the city spent approximately $46 million on transit services from the general fund in fiscal year 2019, with fares eliminated during the pandemic using federal relief funding that is no longer available.

"Ninety-seven percent of the people in this town depend on their car for their primary form of transportation. So we're spending $46 million dollars for 3% of the public," Tolkoff pointed out, questioning the allocation of resources.

Infrastructure Planning Failures

Tolkoff shared a story about the "downtown links" road project connecting Aviation Highway (Arizona Highway 210) to I-10, which was designed to create a direct connection to the interstate but instead now dumps traffic onto local streets.

According to Tolkoff, the city opted not to complete the final connection to the interstate because upgrading the roadway to interstate standards would have cost an additional $10 million—despite spending far more on other projects like transit subsidies.

"We couldn't do ten million, but we can do 46 million to subsidize a bus system," Tolkoff said. "Those decisions on the city council—I mean, that story alone is obscene."

Public Safety Concerns

Tolkoff highlighted public safety as a critical issue, noting a recent shooting in his neighborhood. He described conversations with overworked police officers and firefighters struggling with staffing shortages.

According to Tolkoff, the fire department is down about 100 people (nearly 20% below where they should be), with half of their staff eligible for retirement in the next two years. Meanwhile, pay disparities between Tucson and surrounding jurisdictions make recruitment difficult, especially given Tucson's higher call volume.

"Even if the pay is on par... the call volume in Tucson is significantly higher," Tolkoff explained. "It's like, 'Oh, well, I can work for this company and I can work pretty hard and get this much money, or I can make the same money working for this other company and work twice as hard.' Which one are you gonna do?"

Campaign Challenges as a Republican

Tolkoff discussed the challenges of running as a Republican in a heavily Democratic city with partisan local elections.

"I have an R next to my name, and that is just—you're a pariah in this town if you're running as a Republican," Tolkoff said. "I've actually lost friends when I came out and said I was gonna run as a Republican. They're like, 'You're a Republican? I can't be your friend anymore.'"

He lamented that Tucson is "the last jurisdiction out of the charter cities in Arizona that actually has partisan elections on a local level," arguing that basic city services shouldn't be partisan issues.

"We all care about the same stuff. We care about being safe, we care about having decent streets, decent parks, and having an economic system in place that allows people to grow and meet their full potential," Tolkoff said. "Our city council almost seems to be more concerned with solving world problems."

Citizenship Voting Rights Initiative Coming to Tucson

Jeff Davis joined the program to discuss an upcoming nationwide bus tour promoting the "Only Citizens Vote" initiative, which aims to ensure that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections.

Save Act and Citizenship Verification

Davis explained that the Save Act of 2025, which passed the House and awaits Senate action, would require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration.

"Two-Party Patriots Action will be highlighting the entire month on 'only citizens voting,'" Davis stated. "People don't believe that's an issue, but places like New York City have voted to allow non-citizens to vote in their elections."

Davis emphasized that this is not a partisan issue but concerns the "sanctity of the vote" and preventing voter disenfranchisement. "This is not a Republican-Democrat issue. This is about the sanctity of the vote and not diluting the vote and making sure that we're not disenfranchising voters."

Nationwide Bus Tour

Davis announced a month-long bus tour beginning in August, starting in California and visiting multiple states including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland before concluding with a day of action in Washington, D.C. on September 10th.

"We'll deliver petitions to legislators and congressmen to talk about the importance and why we support only citizens voting," Davis explained.

The tour will stop in Tucson on August 20th at 2:00 PM at the Bridge Church on the west side, following a morning event in Maricopa County. Davis mentioned that they are working to secure participation from national leaders, including possibly Senator Mike Lee of Utah.

Davis encouraged listeners to visit demandonly citizensvote.com to sign up for updates about activities and the bus tour.