Left to right: Brian Johnson, Kathryn Mikronis, Shelly Hartman
Lois Connell
Save Our Schools, April 12
The Democratic Club of Quail Creek (DCQC) and the Green Valley Democrats co-sponsored a presentation on the challenges facing the public school system in Arizona. It was hosted by Democratic Club of Quail Creek in the Kino Center and attracted a large group. Carol Smith, DCQC president, called the meeting to order and introduced Sandie Stone, president of the Green Valley Democrats, who introduced the speakers.
Addressing the assembly were Pima County Treasurer Brian Johnson, his assistant Kathryn Mikronis, who is also a Governing Board member of the Marana Unified School District, and Shelly Hartman, the Pima County Community Action Team coordinator for Save Our Schools.
The presentations were enlightening. Topics included the impact of the Voucher System in Arizona and the trend to privatize education. The public schools are multi-faceted, providing food (breakfast as well as lunch in some areas), transportation, community events, arts, sports, and other services such as counseling and support for special needs students. Public schools are also beneficial in affecting property values, public safety, the local economy, and providing a well-educated workforce for businesses.
The request for Individualized Education Program (IEP) services for special needs students attending private schools affects budgeting. Review of the requests is comprehensive and can take up to 120 hours for each request, but the school districts do not receive extra funding for the reviews. Private schools are not required to provide the services these students need, so they usually end up being sent back to the public school.
The status of the Arizona school system compared to the rest of the country was also reviewed. We are 49th in per-pupil funding, have the second most crowded class sizes, are among the five lowest teacher salaries resulting in a teacher retention crisis, and 48th in student-to-counselor ratio.
The Voucher System includes two types. The Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) allows public taxpayer money to be used for private school, microschool, and homeschool expenses. Charter schools are not included in this option. The School Tuition Organization (STO) provides tax credit to fund scholarships for private schools.
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Women In Blue Luncheons
The April event was hosted by DCQC and was held at the home of DCQC President Carol Smith. It was catered by Mario Magee’s restaurant in Green Valley. More than 50 women from the Green Valley/Sahuarita area attended. The guest speaker was JoAnna Mendoza, an Arizona native who is a 20-year military veteran, having served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. Jo announced her candidacy to run for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District in 2026.
The next event will again be hosted by DCQC and will be a brunch held on June 1 in the Madera clubhouse ballroom. It is open to men and women of DCQC and the Green Valley Democrats. The guest speaker will be Christine Pelosi. Watch for additional details on the DCQC website at dcqc.page or in the DCQC Newsletter.