March 29, 2024 4:31 AM
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Citizens Tax Committee Sponsors ‘Salute to Tom Horne’ Superintendent of Public Instruction

The Citizens Tax Committee (CTC)  is honored to host Tom Horne, Arizona’s newly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, in a ‘Salute to Tom Horne’, Saturday, March 4th, 3 pm, at the Prescott Golf Club in Prescott Valley.

Tom Horne ranks as one  of the most accomplished figures in Arizona political history. He is one of only two Republicans to win statewide office in the last election. His November 2022 victory over the incumbent Democrat, Kathy Hoffman, marks his return to public life and to an office he previously held from 2004 to 2012.

Yavapai  County played a big part in that victory by giving Mr. Horne a 35K vote margin over his opponent. CTC’s  ‘Salute to Tom Horne’ is our way of honoring Mr. Horne and thanking the voters of Yavapai  County. The event featuring hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar ,and remarks  by Mr. Horne is free and open to  the public. RSVP’s are requested and can be made at reservations@salutetoTomHorne.com.

Education issues are at the forefront of voter concerns in Arizona as they are across the country. Here in Yavapai County, our district schools are facing declining academic performance and the perception of a leftward drift in their curricula.  Recent school board elections have seen angry parents demanding an end to “woke” classrooms promoting anti-white Critical Race Theory, precocious sexuality, and a redefinition of gender.  District schools have been thrown on the defensive as reform candidates advocating a return to traditional values have won election to local school boards.

Mr. Horne campaigned on a promise to raise academic standards and eliminate the teaching of critical race theory concepts that emphasize racial grievance and treat students as members of an ethnic or racial group instead of as individuals. At the ‘Salute to Tom Horne’,  Mr. Horne is expected to address the steps he is taking to implement his campaign promises and put Arizona public education  on a sounder footing.

Tom Horne has one of the most accomplished resumes of anyone in Arizona public life. He is a lawyer by profession, graduating summa cum laude from Harvard as an undergraduate and from Harvard Law School.  After a brief stint in the financial industry, he settled in Arizona to practice law and raise a family. In 1982,  he won election to the Paradise Valley School Board, where he served either as President or a member for the next 21 years. In 2000 he was elected and then reelected to the Arizona State Legislature where he served as Vice Chair of the Education Committee.

In 2004 he advanced to statewide office with his election as Superintendent of Public Instruction where he served two terms. His tenure was noteworthy for his opposition to bilingual education and the Tucson’s school district’s Ethnic Studies program which emphasized Mexican history over American history, and the settlement of the long running Flores case which resolved Arizona’s obligation to English language learners in public schools.

In 2012 Mr. Horne was elected Attorney General. His tenue was noteworthy for his defense before the US Supreme Court of Arizona’s immigration  law,  SB 1070,  and his defense of Arizona’s expansive Second Amendment ‘right to carry’ law.  Both laws remain on the books and have inspired similar laws in other states.

The Citizens Tax Committee, founded in 1978, is one of Prescott’s oldest civic organizations. Our mission is focused on transparency in government and accountability to taxpayers. In recent years we have made government-run schools a focus of our voter education program. At the state level public education constitutes over half of our state budget. Here in Yavapai County, taxes to support public schools are over 70% of our annual property taxes. CTC serves as an advocate for taxpayers to ensure that those tax dollars are wisely spent.

All of those interested in the future of public education in Arizona are cordially invited to attend our ‘Salute to Tom Horne’  honoring Arizona’s new Superintendent of Public Instruction, Saturday, March 4th,  3 pm, at the Prescott Golf Club.

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