Republican Tom Horn, whose campaign platform included more positive discipline in the classroom and the creation of a hotline to report teachings of critical racial theory, did not support his opponents. poised to be Arizona’s next public education supervisor after admitting Thursday morning’s race.
Democratic incumbent Kathy Hoffman conceded defeat on Twitter. Hoffman was trailed by nearly 9,000 votes Thursday morning.
Horn previously served two terms as Superintendent of Education and one term as Attorney General. He accused some educators of biased teaching of race and history, said he would ban bilingual education, and campaigned on divisive political issues.
These statements may feel like déjà vu to some Arizonans. Horn spent his first two terms as principal, leading efforts to transition Arizona to English-only language education and to end ethnic studies in Tucson.
Horn’s victory paved the way for the right wing on Public Education Law, along with a majority of Republican lawmakers. But it remains unclear how far these efforts will go in the face of Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs’ veto.
“The last time I was superintendent, the governor was Janet Napolitano,” Horn told Arizona’s last Democratic governor Thursday morning. “We got along very well. I worked with her very well. I will invite Katie Hobbs to lunch at a place of her choice. I will buy it.” We aim to work closely with her.”
In his third term as superintendent, Horn said he would work to limit administrative fees charter schools pay and remove websites that the Arizona Department of Education lists as resources for LGBTQ students. .
Although the expected red wave across the country did not materialize, Republicans won several superintendent elections across the country. Voters in Oklahoma, Wyoming, South Carolina, Idaho and Georgia also elected Republican school principals in this election.
In Arizona, Hoffman won Apache, Coconino, Maricopa, Pima, and Santa Cruz while Horne led by a wide margin in Pinal and Graham counties.
Election coverage: Arizona Election Results | Live News Updates
Horn and Hoffman offered voters an entirely different avenue for educational leadership.
Hoffman led Arizona schools through the first tumultuous years of the COVID-19 pandemic. She promised to use federal relief funds to put more counselors in schools, invest in her access to rural broadband, and expand access to kindergartens and her resources for student mental health.
According to Hoffman’s campaign biography, “We must have elected leaders who see education spending as an investment, not an expense.
Horn, an advocate of school choice, will focus on school discipline, literacy and math meat-and-potatoes instruction, and hotlines for reporting potentially problematic race and history teachings. I promised
“The goal is to focus more on academics, get students to learn more, be financially successful and improve their test scores,” Horn said after Hoffman’s concessions.
Mr. Horn will oversee the school system, which is expected to be significantly underfunded once federal bailout funds run out. He will also oversee the recently greatly expanded school voucher program in Arizona and manage the youth mental health crisis.
Hoffman vs. Horn:5 Takeaways From Arizona Principals’ Debate
But in a role that is closer to administration than policy making, the extent to which he delivers on his promises will depend on how well he works with the governor and the state legislature.
Arizona Gubernatorial Katie Hobbs, Democrat, support Get rid of the new universal school voucher program and put more public money into public schools.
Jana Knitchov is a reporter for the K-12 Education Team in the Republic of Arizona.you can Join the Republic’s Facebook Page Arrive here in Yana ykunichoff@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @Yanazure.
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