Janet Napolitano on Education

Democratic AZ Governor; Designee for Secretary of Homeland Security

Recommend funding for voluntary full-day kindergarten

My budget will recommend first-year funding for voluntary full-day kindergarten to be phased in over the next five years. This phase-in begins where it is needed the most, in schools with at least 90 percent of students who participate in the federal free or reduced-fee lunch program. In years two to five of the phase-in, funding will be distributed to all Arizona school districts. Source: State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

Emphasize the importance of reading literacy

Every parent and teacher should know that so long as I am Governor, every first-grade child in Arizona will receive a book. To ensure that reading literacy is better-emphasized throughout elementary and middle school, I also am calling for improvements in the teacher certification process. We must insist on additional middle school literacy training, to empower teachers to aggressively attack reading deficiencies at every grade level, through the 8th grade. Source: State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

Scholarship program for early childhood education teachers

We must support teachers who provide education to our youngest children by offering scholarships so that they can improve their own education and thereby the education of preschool children. This year we will build on a $1.6-million early childhood educator grant we recently received from the US Department of Education, by implementing a statewide scholarship program for early childhood education teachers. Source: State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

Help teachers undergo the necessary training

Getting master teacher accreditation not only is challenging, it also can be quite expensive for teachers who seek it. I will establish the Arizona Master Teachers program, to secure public and private funding to help teachers undergo the necessary training to receive master teacher status. I challenged every school district in Arizona to convert an additional five percent of district operating budgets to classroom-related spending, and I gave them two years in which to do it. Source: State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

No cut in higher education funding

I am ready to work in partnership with Arizona’s universities and community colleges to enhance access to a higher education, intensify university research efforts, and increase graduation rates. My budget recommendation for this year will continue to invest significantly in Arizona’s universities and community colleges so that they can continue to grow into their new and more vital 21st Century role. Source: State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature Jan 12, 2004

Supports school choice without expense of vouchers

Q: What is your position on vouchers?

A: I support school choice. Arizona has one of the nation’s largest populations of charter schools, and parents have a wide variety of choices available to them for their children’s education. I believe that this system is sufficient to provide for adequate school choice without utilizing additional public resources for a state-sponsored voucher system.

Source: Campaign web site, www.GoJanet.org, “Issues” Sep 9, 2002

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Page last updated: Dec 04, 2008