Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/279010
6 Summer 2014 x AEA Advocate AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL With the recent news of the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction's robo-call promoting private school education for public school students, it is clear that Superintendent John Huppenthal has decided that the goal of Arizona's public education system is for profit, rather than the education of Arizona's over 1 million students. Superintendent Huppenthal recorded a robo-call as part of a massive marketing campaign promoting a voucher program that funnels taxpayer money from public schools into private schools with no accountability. According to the Arizona Republic, the call went out in the second week of February to about 15,000 parents of students enrolled in "low-performing" public schools in Phoenix and Tucson. Below is a transcript of Huppenthals' call: "This is John Huppenthal, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, and I have great news for you. I want you to know about a state program that provides money for parents to offer alternative education choices for their child, including private school. That's right. You may be able to send your child to private school for free." "It is appalling that the Superintendent of Public Instruction would ask parents in this state to remove their children from Arizona's public schools and enroll them in private schools," says Arizona Education Association (AEA) President Andrew F. Morrill. "He has a responsibility to support our state's system of public education, which includes our students, our teachers, our education support staff, and our schools to ensure that they have the resources they need in order to succeed." Follow the Money According to ProgressNow Arizona, the American Federation for Children – a right-wing anti- public education organization promoting private school vouchers – made a heavy investment in John Huppenthal back in 2010 when he was the Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Although Huppenthal ran as a publicly funded "Clean Elections" candidate, the American Federation for Children put $63,000 into an independent expenditure campaign supporting him to defeat past AEA President Penny Kotterman in the Superintendent race four years ago. The robo-calls Huppenthal made promoting Arizona's private school voucher program are part of a $250,000 marketing effort by the Alliance for School Choice, an anti-public education group out of Washington, D.C., and a partner organization with the American Federation for Children. In addition, the robo- calls directed parents to a website operated by the Goldwater Institute, Arizona's most vocal and vehement opponent of public education. All three of these organizations are linked to the corporate bill-mill American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which has agenda to privatize our public schools for profit. Read more about ALEC on page 30. Did Huppenthal Violate Student Privacy Laws? That's the question U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva (CD-3) is now asking in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Congressman Grijalva asks the U.S. Department of Education to open an investigation into whether Superintendent Huppenthal violated student privacy laws to determine how "private student/parent information was available to a third party, when federal law restricts and protects that information." Personally- identifiable information about students is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits this Arizona Schools Chief Gives Up on Public Education More At The Capitol Stories 7 Voters' Rights Restored 8 Education Funding Legislation 9 The Facts About Vouchers 10 Defending School Employees' Rights 10 Protecting Pensions 12 Common Core Legislation John Huppenthal Summer.14advo.indd 6 3/14/14 2:58 PM