by Matthew Holloway | Sep 2, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Responding to a letter issued by Arizona Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued a statement that Mayes is “misleading the public with claims she has leveled at the management of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.” In an 8-page letter with 12 pages of testimony from the Arizona Department of Education’s John Ward in the case of Velia Aguirre v. State of Arizona, Mayes outlined an investigation from her office, making allegations regarding the Department of Education’s use of a risk-based audit approach, which echoes a similar exchange between Horne and Governor Katie Hobbs in December 2024.
Mayes directly critiqued Horne and the ADE writing in part:
“Your failure to appropriately monitor ESA spending has created an untenable situation. Again, I do not want to disrupt the process for ESA holders who are following the law, but this cannot continue. Accordingly, you must act immediately to develop and implement appropriately rigorous purchase review standards and risk-based audit procedures so that ESA families may access their funds in a timely manner and public funds are not spent illegally. The Department’s purchase review and audit standards should employ appropriate controls to safeguard public funds. These controls, and any automatic payment thresholds, should consider the level of risk associated with different categories of expenses, vendors, methods of payment, and individual ESA holders.”
Mayes went on to cite a 12 News report that “the Department has automatically approved [$]1.2 million ESA purchases since the automatic approval policy took effect in December 2024.”
As Matt Beienburg wrote in an op-ed for AZ Free News, the Arizona Capitol Times issued a retraction of its initial report that “Education department under fire for approving $124M in improper ESA [education savings account] purchases,” clarifying with a formal correction that “an inaccurate dollar amount,” was reported. However, no similar retraction has been issued by 12 News as of this report.
Beienburg notes that blatantly inappropriate purchases such as iPhones, televisions, and other non-educational items “haven’t been approved, as the State Board of Education’s ESA Handbook—ratified by members appointed by both former Gov. Doug Ducey and Gov. Katie Hobbs—makes clear. The document expressly states that while families’ ESA purchases under $2,000 are promptly reimbursed by the state, these items ‘are not deemed ‘approved’ by the Department, until they are audited OR the timeframe to audit the orders has passed [2 fiscal years].’ Just like their tax returns filed with the IRS, these families’ ESA purchases are processed up front and subject to enforcement afterwards.”
In a lengthy statement, Horne addressed the allegations raised by Mayes and accused the AG of making false statements:
“In your letter today, and in a recent television interview, you misled the public by stating that improper ESA purchases had been approved, without any reference to the fact that under risk-based auditing dictated by the legislature the money has been recovered or is in the process of being recovered. We have collected or are in the process of collecting more than $600,000 that was paid out for improper purchases.
You also criticize risk-based auditing. Risk-based auditing is a very common and appropriate practice used by auditors, and the ESA Director has more than 16 years’ experience as an auditor. The risk-based approach involves not approving purchases prior to review, but paying amounts under $2,000 subject to later review, which is how we were able to collect or be in the process of collecting more than $600,000.”
He went on to chide Mayes writing, “You state that this is not partisan. That is disproved by all the false statements you made on the television interview.”
Horne continued, “Your argument is not with me but with the legislature. The legislature recently passed ARS section 15–2403B. It provides in part: ‘The department, in consultation with the office of the auditor general, shall develop risk-based auditing procedures for audits conducted pursuing to this subsection.’
“The statute was passed because the department is operating with the same number of people to check purchases as had been given by the legislature when the program was 1/7th as large. The most recent House budget included an appropriation for more people to check purchases, but it had to drop that provision when the governor said that if it did not do so, she would veto the entire budget. The limit on personnel had meant delays for reimbursement or more than two months, which was an unbearable burden for parents who had already paid the money and needed reimbursement. This explains why the legislature wanted to add more staff to serve parents.
“Again, you misled the public in your interview by stating that these improper items have been approved. They were not approved, and as to all the items you mentioned, the accounts have already been frozen. This is as egregious as ignoring the recovery of over $600,000, not to mention your failure to state that this procedure was dictated to us by the legislature and the ESA parent committee that you referred to set the limit at $2,000 pursuant to the legislative command to adopt risk-based auditing. It has been made clear to ESA users in multiple communications that payments of under $2,000 do not imply approval, which can be obtained only after the risk-based auditing dictated by the legislature.
“You referred to a July 21 meeting of the legislative audit committee. Within four days we consulted with the auditor general. Some have erroneously interpreted the word ‘consultation’ to mean that the auditor general has the right to dictate terms to us. That is incorrect. The normal English language use of the word consultation is that we have a discussion, which we have done, and then proceed. However, we have agreed to have further consultations with the auditor general and will do so.
“We will provide at a later date further responses to your long-winded letter of seven pages single space. We are responding now to the main points so you will have no further excuse to mislead the public.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Ethan Faverino | Sep 1, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) is under criticism from parents and community members over a BrainPOP lesson taught to elementary students that compares the struggles of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators, to those of LGBTQ+ service members.
The lesson, part of BrainPOP’s supplemental curriculum, has sparked significant backlash due to its inclusion of a call to action and a cartoon depiction of a newspaper headline reading “LGBT Welcome in the Military,” showing protestors with a rainbow banner outside the White House.
In the video, it states, “Thanks to pioneers like the Red Tails, the armed services integrated shortly after the war. It was an early victory for the budding Civil Rights movement. In the decades to come, the federal government would expand its role in protecting the rights of African Americans and the rights of other marginalized groups. Injustice never ends overnight. It takes brave people to challenge it and show everyone else that there’s another way.”
People in the community have raised an alarm about SUSD’s approval of hundreds of supplemental resources, like BrainPOP, without any committee review or community input.
The online nature of these platforms allows publishers to update content at any time, limiting transparency. For example, in a course given to 2nd graders, a search for “gender” on BrainPOP yields topics such as Pride Month, personal pronouns, sex determination, women’s suffrage, and feminism, which push ideological agendas over academic focus.
BrainPOP, hosting over 1,000 animated films for K-8 students, has been controversial since introducing LGBTQ+ content in 2017 following the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Additional concerns stem from lessons like “Black Lives Matter Protests,” which discuss racism and cite the deaths of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown, ignoring essential facts, such as the reality that each of the men acted as the main aggressor in the events leading to their deaths. The character in this lesson speaks on the Black Lives Matter Movement, saying, “The protests we’re seeing today aren’t really about that sort of thing. They are about structural racism in our society. A built-in system of bias that makes life easier for white people and more difficult for black people and other people of color. It puts them at greater risk for poverty, unemployment, and disease.”
The growing dissatisfaction with these lessons taught to K-8 students has led to the creation of the Empower Hotline, a platform for reporting lessons that deviate from academic standards by focusing on race, ethnicity, gender ideology, social-emotional learning, or inappropriate sexual content.
The hotline’s goal is to empower parents to ensure education prioritizes individual merit and academic rigor.
Arizona law prohibits sex education before fifth grade, and the 2025 Supreme Court ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor mandates parental notifications for materials addressing gender identity or sexual orientation.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Aug 31, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne criticized the lenient sentencing of Daniel Hollander. Hollander was arrested in January 2025 after breaking into Legacy Traditional School–East Tucson with a gun and knife, threatening to kill children and “make them famous.”
Hollander faced charges of attempted terrorism, interfering with an educational institution, weapons misconduct on school grounds, and burglary. He was sentenced to only 18 months in prison followed by probation, a punishment Horne deems inadequate to protect Arizona’s students.
Hollander’s arrest was made possible by the swift and courageous actions of Tucson police officer William Bonanno, a school safety officer funded through the Arizona Department of Education’s school safety program.
“We avoided that tragedy by the skin of our teeth,” said Superintendent Horne. “Tucson Police Officer William Bonanno was the safety officer on campus. He was hired just two weeks before the incident. He is experienced and brave, and after being alerted to a problem on campus, he checked an open door and found the would-be perpetrator with a gun and a knife. Because of his experience and courage, he did not wait for backup but immediately arrested the individual.”
In a statement following the sentencing in Pima County Superior Court, Horne expressed outrage at the prosecutor’s recommendation of just one year in prison and 10 years’ probation.
“As a former Attorney General, I know that the public is entitled to be protected from people like this defendant,” Horne stated. “The judge increased it to 18 months, but could not do more in view of the prosecutor’s recommendation. Probation is not perfect. If this individual has a bad day, he could go into a school and kill students. In my opinion, the prosecutor’s recommendation should have been at least 20 years in prison to protect our children.”
Horne emphasized his administration’s commitment to school safety, noting that the number of police officers in Arizona schools has risen from 190 to 585 over the past two years.
Just before the incident, the Arizona Department of Education identified unused funds and reopened grant opportunities, enabling the hiring of Officer Bonanno.
“I urge the schools to consider that a maniac could invade a school and kill 20 students, as has happened in other states, and could happen here. This is my worst nightmare,” said Horne.
Horne’s administration remains dedicated to strengthening school safety measures to protect Arizona’s students from threats like these.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 30, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona State University’s online component, ASU Online, has partnered with several California community colleges to launch a new pilot program. The initiative allows California online undergraduates and alumni to save 22% on tuition—about $130 less per credit hour than Arizona residents pay.
According to a press release issued by ASU Online, the special rate for California students comes “with no income requirements or special applications needed to receive the special tuition.”
The release added that “the pilot program helps break financial barriers and creates an accessible, seamless transfer pathway for California residents to complete a degree.”
“Our university is committed to enhancing access to high-quality education for all students capable of college-level work,” ASU President Michael Crow said in a statement. “Providing top online learning opportunities and making ASU’s world-class faculty available to the enthusiastic learners in our neighboring state will prepare more skilled graduates, strengthen our shared region and support a better future.”
In a post to X, ASU Online posted enthusiastically, “Big news! Students & alumni of our California Community College partners can now transfer to @ASUOnline and save 22% on tuition through the California Community College Achievement Plan! Who’s ready to finish their degree?”
The emphasis on the educational outcome of California students and the substantial discount being offered under the pilot program is striking given that the Arizona Board of Regents 2021 Financial Aid Report (the most recent available) found that 55 percent of undergraduates from ASU, 55 percent from NAU, and 47 percent from UArizona graduated in debt. The report explained that “the average debt load at graduation was $24,447 at ASU; $21,461 at NAU; and $25,343 at UArizona.” According to the Board, approximately 4.5% of ASU students are defaulting on their loans.
ASU reported in the release that it currently has approximately 15,000 California students enrolled online. Anecdotally, citing one alum’s story, they claim that these students are “making meaningful contributions to the state’s economy,” specifically California’s economy, not Arizona’s.
AZ Free News has reached out to Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Steve Montenegro, who sits ex officio on the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee (JLAC), which has legislative oversight over ASU, the Arizona Board of Regents, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne. No comments were received before filing this story.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 29, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne weighed in on the scandal involving Cartwright Elementary School District board members Lydia and Cassandra Hernandez. The mother-daughter duo allegedly tried to smuggle a box-cutter style knife into Maryvale High School just days after a fatal stabbing there claimed the life of a 16-year-old student. Horne called for both women to resign their public offices immediately.
As reported by Fox10, Officials with the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) told the outlet that on August 25th, Arizona State Rep. Lydia Hernandez (D-LD24) and her daughter, Cassandra Hernandez, created a disturbance at Maryvale High School by “knowingly bringing an unauthorized weapon onto campus.” Lydia Hernandez denied the school district’s accusation in response to an inquiry from Fox10 but declined to comment further.
PXU confirmed in a statement that the two women were “attempting to circumvent our safety systems and knowingly bringing an unauthorized weapon onto campus.”
The district stated in its announcement, “We will pursue all legal options, including pressing charges and trespassing the individuals from coming back to our campuses.”
Both women were recording the incident on their phones. At that point, “Lydia told the staff that she was video recording the interaction and that she was testing the weapon detection systems,” PXU said in a news release. Both women were then escorted from the premises.
Arizona SPI Horne released a statement condemning the women for the incident, saying, “This was an outrageous and indefensible stunt. For two school board members, one who is also a state legislator, to deliberately provoke a security disruption at a school is unconscionable. To do it at Maryvale High School where a student was tragically murdered in a classroom just a week earlier is unbelievably insensitive to the trauma that was inflicted on the students, teachers and staff of that school. These two board members should resign immediately.”
Horne continued, “The safety of our campuses is an absolute priority. Security personnel and safety officers need to do their jobs, and they cannot be diverted from protecting the campus by a juvenile and unnecessary act such as this. The actions of these board members show they do not appreciate the seriousness of ensuring campuses are safe places and the Cartwright Board must include members who are committed to school safety.”
Phoenix City Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Anna Hernandez released a joint statement similarly calling for both women to resign, according to KTAR.
“Their actions disrupted the fragile environment at Maryvale High School, were a blatant disregard for safety and school protocol, and were gravely insensitive to the students, families, and school staff still mourning the Maryvale student who died last week,” Guardado and Hernandez said. “The choice to target a school still reeling from trauma speaks volumes about their judgment and priorities as leaders. Such actions jeopardize the safety of students and staff alike, showing an alarming lack of responsibility and failure as public officials.”
Arizona House Democrat Leaders reacted with a statement saying, “The incident spelled out in the School District’s statement is serious and shocking.” The Democrat leaders noted that while they have “not yet had an opportunity to speak with Rep. Hernandez to get an explanation from her perspective…it should go without saying that nobody — elected official or otherwise — should engage in such reckless and potentially criminal behavior on a school campus.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 27, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Former University of Arizona (U of A) ethics professor Daniel Grossenbach is suing the school with the help of Liberty Counsel, after being fired for publicly advocating for his parental rights at Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) meetings.
Grossenbach, a CFSD parent and resident, is the founding member of ‘Save CFSD,’ a “non-profit organization focused on educating parents about school board policies and issues and fundamental parental rights.” According to the lawsuit, he was “unceremoniously terminated” by U of A leaders, “at the demands of internet trolls’ intent on silencing his speech.”
In a press release issued Friday, Liberty Counsel announced the lawsuit on Grossenbach’s behalf. The Christian legal ministry explained, “In 2023, Grossenbach spoke several times at school board meetings, which [were] attended by hundreds of concerned parents, and delivered two-to-three-minute, pre-written speeches. He routinely included a disclaimer that he spoke for himself and not for his employer, and expressed without hate, slander, or violence how the district’s policies violated parental rights.
“The lawsuit then states that ‘anti-religious zealots turned digital critics’ coordinated over social media to silence Grossenbach and SaveCFSD by getting him fired from his job. Subsequently, numerous anonymous complaints were filed against him with the University of Arizona encouraging the university to discipline him for speaking out about his rights and beliefs.”
Liberty Counsel revealed, “In November 2023, the university informed him that it would not be renewing his part-time teaching contract for the following Spring ethics courses citing it had received funding for a full-time faculty member. However, the university never hired a full-time professor nor offered his ethics course the following Spring. In fact, the university posted advertisements soliciting resumes for additional part-time professors meeting Grossenbach’s exact skills and experience to teach similar courses he had been teaching for years.”
The attorneys argue that despite Grossenbach’s good performance and positive reputation, U of A terminated his employment “after discovering that he was an outspoken Christian advocating for change within his local school board to protect his family.” They claim the university subsequently stalled the disclosure of public records regarding his termination for 239 days in violation of Arizona law.
“[The University of Arizona’s] actions have inflicted irreparable damage to Professor Grossenbach’s professional career and reputation, ended his academic pursuit of a doctorate degree, decreased his earning potential, and reduced his income,” wrote Liberty Counsel. “Further, when Professor Grossenbach was terminated, he lost a potential textbook publishing deal, furthering his financial loss and reputational damage.”
According to the lawsuit, Grossenbach was terminated on November 30, 2024, after serving in his role for over three years “on the basis of complaints lodged by anonymous online censors targeting his constitutionally protected speech regarding his sincerely held religious beliefs, in his private capacity, separate and apart from the workplace.”
The professor filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and obtained a Notice of Right to Sue on May 25, 2025.
“Professors at public universities and colleges do not shed their constitutional rights to free speech and religious exercise when they work for a university,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. “Professor Daniel Grossenbach engaged in constitutionally protected speech, religious expression, and religious exercise and was speaking on matters of public concern regarding his faith, morality, and the community. The University of Arizona cannot fire a professor for his protected speech. Viewpoint discrimination is unlawful and violates the First Amendment and religious discrimination violates Title VII.”
Liberty Counsel is seeking a permanent injunction to declare the university’s Nondiscriminatory and Anti-Harassment Policy and Statement of Professional Conduct illegal and unlawful, along with compelling U of A “to reasonably accommodate the religious beliefs and practices of its employees.” The lawsuit also asks the court to reinstate Grossenbach to his former position, restore his benefits, and award damages.
Grossenbach’s efforts with ‘Save CFSD’ and exposure of controversial whistleblower audio released in May have been reported on by AZ Free News. The Professor also penned an op-ed on AZ Free News in October 2024 discussing his termination.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
