by Matthew Holloway | Aug 8, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a post to X earlier this week, Chaya Raichik’s ‘Libs of TikTok’ revealed a now-deleted video allegedly created by an educator at the PPEP TEC High School’s Cesar Chavez Learning Center in San Luis, Arizona. The video urged teachers to “teach as hard as you can[.] So your students don’t grow up to be… Trump supporters.”
In a screenshot of the post, a man believed to be PPEP TEC High School teacher Edson Delgado, posting under the now-deleted profile ‘mrfacts5x’ wrote, in full, “This school year… Teach as hard as you can[.] So your students don’t grow up to be… Trump supporters. Make America Smart Again.”
In the caption of the post, he added, “If we don’t teach them critical thinking… someone else will teach them conspiracy theories. Let’s make America smart again.”
Libs of TikTok commented on the post, “Teacher at PPEP Cesar Chavez Learning Center in AZ wants to ‘teach’ students so they don’t grow up to be Trump supporters. Any comment @ppeptechs?? Do you condone teachers indoctrinating kids???”
The individual depicted in the post as ‘mrfacts5x’ bears a notable resemblance to Delgado, an educator who was honored by the office of Yuma County Superintendent Tom Hurt as doing “Great things at PPEP Tech!” In a March 25th post to Facebook and is identifiable through the certifications shown hanging behind him in the post to TikTok.
Several commenters on social media expressed reactions, ranging from concern to outrage. Political commentator Paul Szypula wrote, “Our schools are compromised.”
Columnist Emilia Henderson replied on X, “That teacher is PROGRAMMING kids with hatred for their own country. If PPEP allows this, they’re no school at all.. they’re a political FACTORY pushing Democrat obedience.”
Some critics of the TikTok post called for federal funding for PPEP TEC High School to be terminated, while others called for the teacher’s termination. At least one Arizona commenter, ‘JustADudeAZ,’ stated that he reported the incident to Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. He wrote, “Credit to Tom Horne for listening and getting back to me. He provided where to go to keep people like this teacher honest. If you see teaching like this you can report them directly using this site,” and provided a link to the Empower Hotline.
The hotline is “the forum to report about inappropriate lessons that detract from teaching academic standards such as those that focus on race or ethnicity, rather than individuals and merit, promoting gender ideology, social emotional learning, or inappropriate sexual content,” according to the Arizona Department of Education.
AZ Free News has reached out to PPEP TEC High School for comment but received no response by the filing of this article.
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 Jonathan Eberle | Aug 8, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
As schools across Arizona reopen for the fall semester, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is encouraging parents to be alert to classroom content they believe may conflict with their family’s values. His call follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming parents’ rights to withdraw their children from classes that conflict with their religious beliefs.
“The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that parents have the Constitutionally protected right to opt their children out of classes when their religious beliefs conflict with course material,” Horne said in a public statement. “As the new school year begins, I am urging parents to be aware they have the power to ensure their child’s school is concentrating on academics, not social indoctrination.”
Horne cited a case from earlier this year involving a Tucson-area teacher whose lessons, he claimed, undermined students’ religious beliefs and promoted gender ideology. According to Horne, the teacher has since retired, and the matter was resolved. “This is exactly the type of situation that was addressed in this recent Supreme Court decision,” he said.
To address concerns like these, the Arizona Department of Education operates an “Empower Hotline,” which allows parents, educators, and citizens to report what they view as inappropriate content in the classroom. Horne said the hotline has received complaints about lessons that focus on race, gender identity, or content perceived as deviating from traditional academic instruction.
“Students need education in reading, writing, math, science, history, and the arts,” Horne added. “The inappropriate lessons about which parents are complaining are a distraction from these crucial academic subjects. My principal goal has been to bring back academic focus into the classrooms.”
The Supreme Court decision referenced by Horne affirms long-standing interpretations of parental rights in education but has gained renewed attention amid ongoing debates over curriculum content in public schools across the country.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Aug 4, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne criticized recent remarks made by Governor Katie Hobbs’ spokesman, Christian Slater, who labeled the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) staff as “wasteful bureaucracy.”
Horne called the comments a reckless insult to dedicated state employees who are understaffed, under pressure, and focused on serving the parents seeking the best education for their children.
“The governor’s spokesman has demeaned state employees by calling ESA professionals a ‘wasteful bureaucracy.’ Defining people as waste is a terrible insult,” said Superintendent Horne. “No matter what her (Governor Hobbs) personal opposition, the ESA program exists to give parents’ choice when local schools don’t meet their children’s needs, and people are needed to serve those parents. That is not wasteful; it is essential.”
ESA Director John Ward, in a recent legislative testimony, highlighted the program’s significant growth and challenges.
In the 2025 fiscal year, the ESA program distributed $869 million, surpassing the $769 million allocated for all federal education programs in Arizona.
Despite managing a larger budget, the ESA program has only 40 employees, compared to the 300 staff members handling federal programs at the Arizona Department of Education.
Since its start in 2011, the ESA program has grown from $100 million and 11,000 accounts to now, nearly $1 billion and over 90,000 accounts today, with no additional staff to support the increased workload.
“We are always in survival mode,” Ward told lawmakers. “Our main responsibility is to get students who want to be in the program into the program, to review their purchases, and provide customer service. That is our core mission, and that is what we are focused on.”
Horne also noted that in 2025, the Department of Education requested 12 additional staff members to manage the growing program’s demands. The House supported this request in its budget, but Governor Hobbs refused to consider it.
“To deny these resources while allowing her spokesman to insult state employees serving parents is beyond the pale,” Horne said.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 1, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne followed the U.S. Department of Education’s release of its pause on grant funding with a public commitment to disburse the funding as soon as possible.
The Arizona Department of Education announced that $124 million, or approximately one percent of the state’s overall education funding, was under review by the federal government.
The funding was due to be released in early July, but the approximate $6 billion in nationwide funding, including the $124 million allocated for Arizona, was placed under review by the agency on July 1st.
“The department will not be issuing grant award notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review,” a memo from the Department’s Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs said at the time. “The department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the president’s priorities and the department’s statutory responsibilities.”
In an interview with the outlet, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon assured the public, “We want to make sure that we have the right focus on what we’re trying to do with our students.”
Superintendent Horne said in a statement, “The release of federal funds that were being reviewed by the Trump administration is good news and no surprise to me. When the review was announced I noted that the federal government is merely ensuring that the funds are being used appropriately and not for ideological purposes. People need to be assured that their education tax dollars are being used to advance academic goals and not social indoctrination.”
He added, “When the pause occurred, a lot of people panicked thinking the money would go away entirely. I said at the time that this was merely a pause for review and that is exactly what happened. The Arizona Department of Education staff will work very hard to disburse these funds as soon as possible.”
Horne shared a video clip on Friday from President Trump, coinciding with the release in which the President said, “We are moving education back to the states….when they do it, you are going to have the BEST education in the world.”
In a previous statement, Horne observed, “They’ve (federal government) seen instances of far-left ideology being taught to students. And I would agree that that should not be. People obviously have a right to be far left if they want, but they don’t have a right to impose it on students in the classroom. So, if there’s any of that in Arizona, I would cooperate enthusiastically with the federal government to get rid of it.”
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 | Jul 21, 2025 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, announced the release of previously paused federal funds for after-school programs under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program.
Superintendent Horne expressed his satisfaction with the federal government’s decision, stating, “The after-school grants are valuable because they offer students a chance to get additional help with reading, math, completing homework assignments and other tasks that help them academically. This is welcome news for these programs that would have been affected by the loss of federal dollars. Once we have formal notification from the federal government and allocations to schools are calculated, we will work very hard to pass these funds through to the recipients.”
The released funds, totaling around $24 million for the current fiscal year, will boost after-school programs across the state.
Horne also addressed ongoing federal reviews of additional funds, reassuring schools and families that he expects further releases soon.
Horne added, “When this review was announced, I urged schools to be calm while the federal government studied these funds to ensure they are being used appropriately. I anticipate other funds still being reviewed will be released in the near future.”
Addressing concerns about potential funding disruptions, Horne clarified that no final decision has been made regarding a freeze on other federal grants under review.
He noted that the funds in question represent less than 1% of most school budgets, and many schools have unspent funds available through September 2026. Schools also have the flexibility to reallocate resources, if there is a freeze, to prioritize essential programs.
Horne also emphasized his commitment to maintaining an ideologically neutral classroom environment stating, “They’ve (federal government) seen instances of far-left ideology being taught to students. And I would agree that that should not be. People obviously have a right to be far left if they want, but they don’t have a right to impose it on students in the classroom. So, if there’s any of that in Arizona, I would cooperate enthusiastically with the federal government to get rid of it.”
Superintendent Horne, along with the Arizona Department of Education remains in close communication with schools to provide updates and guidance.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
