Guests - Tom Horne, Betsy Smith

Tom Horne, Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction, is implementing a revolutionary approach to education through artificial intelligence. The new program, ConMigo, serves as a 24/7 tutor that uses the Socratic method rather than simply providing answers to students' questions.

"This is bringing the tools of tomorrow into our schools today," Horne explains. "There's no substitute for a live teacher and a live student in the same classroom. It actually helps them. It gives them the equivalent of two assistants to do the grunt work while the teacher can focus more on creative teaching."

The AI tutoring system addresses a critical gap in education: ensuring all students master fundamental concepts before advancing. Horne illustrates the problem with a common scenario: "Teacher gives a test. Some kids get 90%, others get 70%. The kids that get 70% still go to the next grade, not knowing 30% of what they need for further learning, and they can get lost."

ConMigo offers a solution at just $15 per student per year – a fraction of the cost of human tutoring. The system has already been implemented in schools serving 160,000 students, funded through federal COVID relief money. Now Horne is working to expand the program statewide by strategically allocating Title I funds.

The research backing this approach is compelling. One-on-one tutoring has consistently proven to be the most effective teaching method. "We've clawed back $30 million that my predecessor had given to some organizations that really weren't helping academics," Horne notes. "We use that for tutoring, which helped a lot. But we can't afford 1,200,000 tutors for 1,200,000 students. But we can afford the artificial intelligence to do the same thing."

School Safety Takes Priority

Under Horne's leadership, Arizona has significantly expanded its school safety officer program. The number of police officers in schools has increased from 190 to 565, with the state covering the costs rather than local schools.

The importance of this program was dramatically illustrated by a recent incident in Tucson. A charter school had employed a police officer for only two weeks when he discovered someone with a knife and a gun who had entered through an open gate. The intruder intended to "kill the kids to make them famous." The officer's quick action prevented a potential tragedy.

"People who oppose me say, well, we want to have gun-free schools," Horne observes. "Well, saying you want gun-free schools is like saying I'm an easy victim, come get me. We don't have massacres at police stations for a reason."

A new law now allows retired officers to serve as school safety officers, expanding the pool of experienced personnel available to protect students. This addresses the shortage of police officers while bringing seasoned professionals into schools.

Fighting Health and Hunger

Horne has championed legislation eliminating harmful additives from school lunches. Working with lawmakers, he insisted on scientific evidence demonstrating harm before supporting the removal of any ingredient. The resulting law bans chemicals commonly prohibited in European foods but previously allowed in American schools.

This health initiative builds on Horne's earlier efforts. During his first term starting in 2003, he successfully campaigned to remove sugared sodas from school vending machines, despite strong opposition from industry lobbyists. "I used to go around giving speeches with a pyramid of sugar cubes. People were shocked to know how much sugar is in one can of soda," he recalls.

The Reservation Education Gap

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of Horne's work involves improving education on Arizona's Native American reservations, which historically have the lowest test scores in the state. With 22 tribes across Arizona, these students primarily attend district schools within the public education system.

Horne's team has identified districts on reservations that are performing well despite the challenges. "We found some districts that are actually doing quite well. And so we have, you know, in the process of studying what they did and try to get that to the other schools on the reservations, that would be a big deal to turn that around."

The approach emphasizes that children in economically disadvantaged areas can learn as effectively as those in wealthy neighborhoods when provided proper teaching and leadership. Horne's team adopted a fifth-grade class in a poor school, providing targeted assistance that resulted in math scores improving by 27%.

Measuring Progress

Horne acknowledges that transforming education for over a million students takes time. His administration has shown notable successes, particularly with the bottom 5% of schools. Through focused intervention, 70% of these struggling schools have improved enough to exit the bottom tier.

"We have a number of things we've done to prove that kids in poor neighborhoods can learn just as quickly as kids in rich neighborhoods as long as they're taught properly," Horne emphasizes. "Turning around, you know, 1,000,000 students takes time and we're working very hard on it. But you can't get instant results when you're dealing with that big of a sample."

Conflicts Over Policy

Horne's efforts haven't been without controversy. Tucson Unified School District, in particular, has resisted implementing school resource officers, setting it apart from surrounding districts that have embraced the program. This creates what Horne sees as a security vulnerability for TUSD students.

Additionally, Horne has been enforcing new federal guidelines requiring schools to certify compliance with anti-discrimination obligations. The vast majority of Arizona schools have signed these statements, with Horn establishing a hotline for parents to report violations.

"I've been fighting this fight against racial identity politics in our schools since my fight with Tucson Unified back in 2008," Horne notes. His position emphasizes individual merit over what he calls "racial entitlements," arguing that the latter approach threatens to make America "a mediocre country" in global competition.

National Police Week

National Police Week brings critical attention to the challenges facing law enforcement and the communities they serve. A recent hatchet attack in Tucson dramatically illustrated both the dangers present in seemingly safe neighborhoods and the importance of police response.

The incident occurred at a bus stop near Sabino Canyon and Tanque Verde, an area known for its safety and middle-class demographics. A 42-year-old man, Frank Rick Lopez, attacked two people with a hatchet after attempting to steal a woman's phone. Both victims sustained injuries – one to the arm, another to the head – but survived thanks to quick police response.

Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, emphasizes how this incident highlights broader issues facing Tucson. "This is not some terrible neighborhood. This is a terrific neighborhood in Tucson. This needs attention," she states, pointing to the intersection's proximity to Udall Park, libraries, and voting centers.

The State of American Policing

During National Police Week, stark statistics emerge about the current state of law enforcement. Of America's 18,000 police departments, nine out of ten face staffing shortages. Only about 750,000 officers police the entire nation, and resignations increased 47% between 2019 and 2023.

Smith challenges common misconceptions about police use of force. With 52 to 82 million police-citizen interactions annually and about 10 million arrests, force is used in less than 2% of arrests. Fatal shootings number approximately 1,000 per year, while 342 officers were shot in the line of duty last year, with 50 fatalities – a 9% increase from the previous year.

"The more liberal a person identifies politically, the more that they believe that American law enforcement is the problem," Smith notes, citing research showing that liberal-identifying individuals often believe police kill over 1,000 unarmed black men annually, when the actual number ranges from zero to 15 unarmed people of all races.

Tucson's Police Crisis

Tucson faces particularly acute challenges. The police force has shrunk from 1,100 officers to approximately 700 – 1970s staffing levels for a modern city. This shortage means many 911 calls go unanswered or face significant delays.

"When you call 911 in Tucson, there's a very good chance the police will not come," Smith explains. "They have to be very particular about the crimes that they respond to."

The contrast with Mesa, Arizona – a similarly sized city – proves instructive. Mesa's mayor, a retired first responder, actively supports the police force with competitive pay and a quality academy. While Mesa faces recruitment challenges like all departments, their situation differs markedly from Tucson's crisis.

Presidential Support and Policy Changes

President Trump's National Police Week proclamation calls out the previous administration's "reckless soft on crime policies" that hampered police work. This represents a significant shift from what Smith describes as the Obama administration's anti-police stance, which she traces back to the Cambridge police incident and beer summit.

"Barack Obama... literally took him a matter of a few months to be able to show his real stripes in how he felt about law enforcement," Smith recalls from her time as an Illinois officer. She cites his push for racial profiling paperwork requirements and the controversial Report on 21st Century Policing as examples of policies that undermined law enforcement.

Immigration Enforcement Returns

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have resumed with renewed vigor. In Maricopa County, new Sheriff Jerry Sheridan has established ICE offices within the jail system, staffed with agents who monitor inmates for deportation eligibility.

This contrasts sharply with recent scenes at a New Jersey ICE detention facility, where a mayor and congressional members were arrested for storming the facility. The facility houses serious criminals awaiting deportation or sentencing, yet protesters gathered to support these detainees.

"They're all holding American flags. They're all grateful. Nobody's got face tattoos. Nobody's flipping off the camera," Smith notes, contrasting legal refugee arrivals from South Africa with those who entered illegally and committed crimes.

The Human Cost

The personal impact of these policy debates crystallizes in stories like Brendan Mendoza, a Mesa police officer killed by an intoxicated driver in the country illegally. His mother, Mary Ann Mendoza, became one of the original "angel moms" advocating for immigration enforcement.

"He was killed by an illegal drunk, drugged driver going the wrong direction on our freeways," recalls Kathleen Winn, who knew the officer personally. "The man that killed him shouldn't have been here, shouldn't have been in this country. And we don't cry enough tears for those people."

Looking Forward

As National Police Week continues, the focus remains on honoring fallen officers while addressing systemic challenges. The National Peace Officers Memorial wall, approaching 25,000 names, may soon need expansion – a sobering reminder of the ongoing sacrifices in law enforcement.

For communities like Tucson, the path forward requires difficult choices about public safety priorities, funding, and political leadership. As Smith notes, the damage done "can be undone," pointing to Maricopa County's turnaround under new leadership as proof that change remains possible.

The week serves as both memorial and call to action, highlighting the essential role of law enforcement while confronting the policies and attitudes that have created current crises. Whether examining school safety, immigration enforcement, or community policing, the message remains clear: supporting those who serve and protect requires more than words – it demands concrete action and political will.