The Real Arizona

6 out of 10 applicants for an Arizona driver's license fail. Does this tell us anything about our education system? I would say so. Our public schools do after all rank in the bottom five for educational achievement. And the legislature continues to attack and cripple the public education system. Criminal spending cuts aside, they are attacking public schools from all directions.

For example school tax credits for private schools exceed the amount I can donate to my child's public school. House Bill 2581 would increase by 50 percent the amount of money that taxpayers can donate to help pay tuition at private K-12 schools and subtract from their state income tax. That amount would increase from $500 to $750 for individuals and from $1,000 to $1,500 for couples. My wife and I can only donate $300. 


And now parents at charter schools can opt out their children from material they deem offensive. For example, a neo-nazi mommy can prevent her child from learning about the Holocaust. Those folks who believe the South will rise again can now prevent their child from learning about slavery. What does each of these examples have in common? You lost, get over it.