by Elizabeth Troutman | Jan 25, 2024 | Education, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
The Arizona Board of Education’s decision to uphold rejections of questionable Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) expense requests shows that “we allow only what public schools provide at reasonable cost,” according to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
Horne applauded the State Board’s unanimous decision. In Monday’s meeting, the board rejected two appeals of expense requests from parents that the Department of Education had rejected.
“In recent months much has been made of supposedly extravagant ESA expense approvals,” Horne said. “But our policy of reviewing all requests is far different from that of my predecessor who did allow a number of inappropriate expenses to be approved and which ESA opponents continue to falsely claim as alleged abuses today.”
“The department and State Board have again shown this week that we take these expense approvals seriously and will not tolerate attempts to go beyond what the law permits,” Horne continued.
One of the rejected ESA requests was for a $2,300 commercial freeze dryer, which serves no educational purpose, so is not a valid expense under state law. The other rejected request was for car seats.
State law says that every child must be secured in a car seat, and parents do not have the right to use ESA funds to buy something they are already required to provide, according to Horne’s news release.
The department expects to defend against an appeal from a parent requesting a $500 dune buggy in the next few months.
“Despite the claims we hear from opponents of the ESA program, under my watch we review every expense request regardless of dollar amount,” Horne said. “Things such as commercial freeze dryers and dune buggies that might be approved under the previous administration are being rejected now.”
Horned said ESA staff has reviewed 252,000 orders and rejected 12,200 of them in recent months.
“This work takes extra time and effort, but it is necessary to make sure ESA taxpayer funds are spent for valid educational purposes and are in line with state law,” Horne said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Jan 23, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Arizona State University’s McCain Institute hosted a discussion on the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2023.
The organization, which claims to be nonpartisan, invited CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett and left-leaning election law advocate David Becker to discuss their 2022 book, “The Big Truth: Upholding Democracy in the Age of ‘The Big Lie,’” with Executive Director of the McCain Institute Evelyn Farkas.
“This book, although it was written in 2022, is incredibly timely… because right now… we have the former president of the United States in D.C.’s court of appeals sitting there listening to an argument about whether he should have immunity for actions that he took, things that he said in the 2020 election,” Farkas said.
In 2020, the election process was “placed under more pressure than ever since the Civil War” and “was carried out with the highest turnout ever, the most diverse populace ever to participate in a presidential election in our history,” according to Garrett.
“Those things are signs of success, not failure,” Garrett continued.
The discussion fell on the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach at the U.S. Capitol and focused on “what actually happened in the 2020 election.” The speakers discussed the “misinformation” designed to “con and beguile Americans into chasing phantom allegations of election crimes.”
“People who spread disinformation don’t necessarily have to convince you of the lie, they just have to convince you that nothing is true,” Becker said at the event.
The election “was an impressive example of democracy at work, despite attempts to overshadow its success,” according to the McCain Institute.
The McCain Institute has a history of dwelling on the 2020 election years after the fact. The ASU center hosted a panel discussing “election denialism” and former President Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” about the 2020 election in February.
Inspired by Senator John McCain and his family, the McCain Institute is part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. The book discussion was part of the institute’s Authors and Insights book talk series, which started in 2020.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Jan 23, 2024 | Education, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Western Maricopa Education Center reported high attendance and academic achievement scores in the fall 2023 semester.
West-MEC is a career and technical education school district with 45,000 students across its four campuses and 49 high schools in the West Valley.
“West-MEC provides students with the technical and professional skills to realize their career dreams and achieve economic independence,” West-MEC Assistant Superintendent Stephen Weltsch said. “This responsibility is too important to leave to chance; the district’s learning system includes sophisticated metrics to track continual student progress.”
More than two-thirds of central program students earned at least one industry-recognized certificate for a total of 2,812 credentials. This marks an increase of more than 35% as compared to last year at this time.
More than half of the credentials earned are required or preferred by employers of each program’s respective fields. One-hundred percent of students enrolled in programs at West-MEC’s central campus earned credit during the fall semester, and 99% achieved a C or higher.
“Even though we are only halfway through the school year, these are phenomenal achievements by West-MEC’s students,” Weltsch said.
West-MEC also reported high attendance rates, with 95% of students having less than ten absences, 71% less than five, and 15% of students with zero absences.
“These high attendance rates are a true testament to West-MEC’s staff and its students’ engagement, commitment, and passion for the program they are in,” the Jan. 19 news release reads.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Jan 21, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
A bill proposed by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., would require abortion providers to show pregnant women their unborn baby on an ultrasound before proceeding with the abortion.
The Ultrasound Informed Consent Act provides pregnant women an opportunity to review ultrasound imaging before ending their baby’s life.
“The Biden Administration’s heinous pro-abortion policies continue to incentivize women to end the lives of innocent, unborn American children. My legislation provides pregnant women a safe and intimate opportunity to rethink their abortion,” Biggs said in a news release. “This subtle but important process change can potentially save millions of unborn lives.”
Under the proposed legislation, the abortion provider must provide an ultrasound, explain what it depicts, display the images to the woman, and provide a complete medical description of the unborn child’s dimensions, cardiac activity, external members, and organs.
The woman is allowed to turn her eyes away without penalty if she does not want to see the image. The bill does not apply to medical emergencies.
Studies show that about 80% of abortion-minded women choose life after viewing their ultrasound.
The bill came during the week of the 51st March for Life, when tens of thousands of people voiced their support for the right to life in Washington, D.C. The legislation has received support from the National Pro-Life Alliance.
“We congratulate Congressman Andy Biggs for taking the leadership on this vital legislation that would ensure that each woman has the right to know the truth about her unborn child,” said Martin Fox, president of the National Pro-Life Alliance. “Congressman Biggs’ Ultrasound Informed Consent Act guarantees that mothers know exactly what an abortion is ending: not just ’tissue’ or a ‘clump of cells’ but the life of her unborn baby.”
Bill co-sponsors include Republican representatives Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Andy Harris of Maryland, Matthew Rosendale Sr. of Montana, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, Mary Miller of Illinois, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, and Eric Burlison of Missouri.
“Defending the right to life remains one of my top priorities in Congress,” Biggs said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Jan 20, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
The Maricopa County Republican Committee is calling on Arizona state congress members to run a bill that mandates calling voter registration cards by a more accurate name.
“Will one or both of your members please run a bill that mandates all 15 Arizona County Recorders replace erroneous so-called “Voter *ID* Card” terminology, misrepresenting what are, in fact, Voter *Registration* Cards?,” a Sunday Tweet reads.
The Tweet was in response to approximately 260,000 Maricopa County voters recently receiving new voter registration cards, which Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer called ID Cards.
“The new ID cards will look exactly like the regular cards but will include a note that indicates the boundary changes,” Richer said.
Voter IDs are a “long & strongly established principle” in Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Republican Party.
“A Voter Registration Card never serves as an authorized form of Voter ID, in & of itself,” the party tweeted. “It may potentially serve as a partial supplement, in combination w/ other docs—but never equivalent—to Voter ID.”
According to Maricopa County Republicans, the Arizona Elections Procedures Manual refers to voter registration cards as such, rather than as a “Voter ID” or “Voter ID Card.” The terms should not be used interchangeably, according to the Republicans.
Arizona voters are required to show a valid government-issued ID, as well as a voter registration card.
“However long ago ‘Voter ID Card’ got started (‘It’s been around so long & it’s only a word!’) & however strong Maricopa County Government’s institutional leverage may be, We The People hold the ultimate leverage: upholding a most basic & essential principle of Election Integrity,” the Maricopa County Republicans said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
