Arizona Superintendent Horne wants higher teacher salaries, tougher literacy tests

Arizona State Superintendent Tom Horne said raising teachers salaries is an “emergency” in an address to state lawmakers on Tuesday.

The need for higher teacher pay is something Democrats and Republicans actually agree on at the state Capitol.

Lawmakers have the opportunity to pass a measure to voters which would accomplish that using money from the state land trust, and Horne wants that done sooner rather than later.

“The emergency is so great about more teachers leaving than coming into the profession, that I think we may have to make it the highest priority to raise the income of our teachers,” Horne said.

Horne argues the money should go to teachers directly, not school districts.

Former Gov. Doug Ducey pushed a “20X20” plan in 2018. He pledged to give all teachers a 20% pay increase by 2020.

However, the actual amount of pay raises varied substantially by district, with not all teachers getting that much of a raise.

To get away from that, Horne wants to find a way to bypass school districts and ensure funding goes to teachers directly and evenly.

School vouchers

Horne and the state department of education administer the state’s private school voucher program, called Empowerment Scholarship Accounts.

The program was universally expanded under Ducey, making all Arizona students eligible to receive state funding.

Democrats opposed that expansion and are still trying to cut back on ESAs.

Recently, a federal version of ESAs went into law as part of President Trump’s so-called “big beautiful bill” — but eligibility for the federal program has income caps.

That’s a concept Hobbs included this year in her state budget proposal.

Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) asked Horne if he supports income caps on Arizona’s ESA program, but Horne decided not to answer.

“This is something for the legislature to decide, and I’ve decided not to impose on your turf on that subject,” he said.

Horne is facing a primary challenge by GOP State Treasurer Kimberly Yee. Her platform is largely about ESAs and how Horne isn’t doing enough to support the program.

DEI

Horne also said he’s prepared to cut off funding to schools teaching “diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Horne wants to review all teaching standards to cut out any “DEI related language.”

President Trump issued an executive order last January promising to cut federal funding to any entities teaching “DEI.”

Horne said that may put hundreds of millions of dollars at risk.

“If they give me the authorization, I will cut off those funds because I think — I agree with the administration philosophically that people should be treated based on individual merit and not on what race they are born into,” Horne said.

DEI is a concept that promotes celebrating diverse cultures, offering equal opportunity to all, and being inclusive, especially of those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

But many Republicans oppose the idea, arguing it advocates for discrimination by minorities against white people.

Literacy

Literacy rates have fallen across the country.

In Arizona, Horne is advocating for not allowing third graders to advance to the fourth grade if they can’t pass a literacy test, but he wants them to take a harder test than the one that’s currently offered.

“Students are going to the fourth grade that aren’t really proficient in reading,” Horne said.

Even though getting held back is hard, and parents don't usually appreciate it, Horne said it’s ultimately the best thing schools can do for children who aren’t at the level they need to be at by the end of third grade.