What It Means for Arizona – Part 1

First of all, what IS the GOP plan for education? Great question. According to the New York Times, the Republican National Committee (RNC) Platform was meticulously prepared by Team Trump and passed at the convention with “ruthless efficiency… that squelched, silenced or steamrolled any forces who might oppose” it. It is the “official” plan but by design, is short and vague, because according to Zack Beauchamp writing on Vox.com, “[Trump] wanted nothing in the platform that would give Democrats an opening to attack him”. Project 2025 from the conservative Heritage Foundation, provides many more details but Trump now disavows any knowledge of it despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. “The now-infamous document puts meat on the platform’s bones” writes Beauchamp, “It details a set of proposals for how to take the RNC’s vague Trumpy principles and turn them into actual, concrete policy. In essence, it is serving as the policy shot for a party uninterested in doing its own homework.” 

In reading the plans for education in both documents, The Republican National Committee platform looks to be the “Cliff Notes” for Project 2025 which wants to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and according to Newsweek, “seeks to unravel decades-long efforts to cultivate equitable learning spaces and systems. If implemented, it would unwind critical protections for American schoolchildren…and erase any effort from the federal government to improve America’s schools.” 

The RNC Platform itself initially sounds less innocuous, but the devil is definitely in the details. The chapter on education begins with the heading “Cultivate Great K-12 Schools Leading to Great Jobs and Great Lives for Young People.” Then it provides a paragraph called “Our Commitment” which states: 

“Republicans offer a plan to cultivate great K-12 schools, ensure safe learning environments free from political meddling, and restore Parental Rights. We commit to an Education System that empowers students, supports families, and promotes American Values. Our Education System must prepare students for successful lives and well-paying jobs.” 

It then provides nine promises. In this three-part post, I’ll at times use points from Project 2025 to help explain what the GOP Platform might intend, and what it means for Arizona. Yes, it is a leap. But, I would argue, not a huge one and, because of the potential danger of another Trump Administration’s impact on public K-12 education, one worth taking. 

“1. Great Principals and Great Teachers: Republicans will support schools that focus on Excellence and Parental Rights. We will support ending Teacher Tenure, adopting Merit pay, and allowing various publicly supported Educational models.“

Arizona’s version of teacher tenure is called “continuing status” and is granted to teachers who have not been rated as “ineffective” for the major portion of more than three years. All other teachers have “probationary” status. Continuing status, simply means these teachers cannot be terminated without adequate notice and the opportunity to correct ineffective performance. 

Eliminating teacher tenure would make it even harder for Arizona to attract and retain good teachers who accept lower pay (than other comparable career fields) for a more secure and stable job. Just a few weeks into the last school year, Arizona had “2,229 teaching vacancies across 131 districts”, according to a survey by the Arizona School Personnel Administration Association. Part of the problem is an average teacher salary of $9,000 less than the national average, but it is also about teachers feeling unvalued, unsupported, and overworked. Jay Schroder, a veteran teacher, and author, “contends that the low pay, combined with high stress and a strong sense of disrespect from some outspoken sections of society, make the job of teaching unattractive to many college graduates”. “If this were just a PR problem, it would be easier to solve,” he says. “The truth is that the pay is low and the stress is high.” Eliminating teacher tenure would only increase that stress, and make the low pay even less desirable for even the most passionate professionals. 

Merit pay refers to any system in which compensation is partly based on an evaluation of the employee’s job performance. Arizona statutes already require that district governing boards prescribe specific procedures for the teacher performance evaluation system that include an annual evaluation of each teacher by a qualified evaluator. This evaluation must include two classroom observations at least 60 days apart, and quantitative data on the academic progress of the teacher’s students, (which accounts for 20 to 33 percent of the overall evaluation). The statutes provide exceptions to some of these rules (such as omitting the second classroom observation) where teachers are proven high performers. 

“2. Universal School Choice: Republicans believe families should be empowered to choose the best Education for their children. We support Universal School Choice in every State in America. We will expand 529 Education Savings Accounts and support Homeschooling Families equally.“

Arizona has offered open enrollment (allowing parents to enroll their child in any district school that has openings), and charter schools since 1994. Additionally, family-funded homeschooling and private school attendance have always been options, but with the universal voucher (Empowerment Scholarship Accounts) expansion, the AZ GOP pushed through the Legislature in 2022 (voters rejected them two-to-one in 2018), we all must now foot the bill. Unfortunately, the voucher program requires almost no accountability and the AZ GOP-led legislature hasn’t been interested in introducing even common-sense checks and balances. This prevents us from measuring their return on investment and holding anyone accountable for results; exactly opposite to our requirements for our public district schools.

As for homeschooling, Arizona couldn’t make it any easier. Homeschoolers must only send a letter (Affidavit of Intent) to their county school superintendent stating they will homeschool and can now get vouchers to cover their costs. Arizona statutes require the curriculum to include reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science, but there are no teacher qualifications or assessment requirements to help ensure quality learning takes place. 

The GOP didn’t spell out how they plan to expand 529 Education Savings Accounts but Project 2025 could give us a clue. According to Education Week, Project 2025 proposes phasing out Title I funds for educating disadvantaged or underserved children over the next decade. Until then, it states that Title I funds should be transitioned to “no-strings-attached” block grants administered by state education departments. This could allow funds to flow directly to parents in the form of 529 education savings accounts for private school and other education expenses. It also discusses doing the same for special education funds from the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA). Arizona already fully supports and promotes 529 accounts to pay for qualified postsecondary education and apprenticeship program expenses. AZ529.gov states that it “offers a tax deduction each year ($2,000 per beneficiary per tax filer) for investing in the Arizona 529 Plan or any state’s 529 plan” and that “There is no limit on the number of beneficiaries Arizona residents can make contributions to in a tax year.”

“3. Prepare Students for Jobs and Careers: Republicans will emphasize Education to prepare students for great jobs and careers, supporting project-based learning and schools that offer meaningful work experience. We will expose politicized education models and fund proven career training programs.“

The Arizona Legislature enacted statutes that allowed public school districts to form Career and Technical Education Districts (CTED) in 1990. We now have 14 CTEDs across the state with almost 161,000 students receiving career and technical education.These students learn skills required to be aircraft mechanics, dental assistants, firefighters, graphic designers, plumbers, vet techs, welders, and much more. The results of the program speak for themselves with students in CTE courses statewide graduating at a rate of 97% versus 81% of those students in traditional track programs. Not only that, but they are prepared for high-paying positions in their chosen fields. 

So in fulfilling these first three promises, the GOP would likely exacerbate our teacher shortages and export Arizona’s runaway and unaccountable voucher program to the rest of the country. Please stay tuned for the rest of their plan.