Carolyn McCorkle
The Sun Lakes Republican Club will feature “Academic Excellence for Successful Arizona Citizens” with keynote speaker State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Navajo Room of the Sun Lakes Country Club, 25601 S. Sun Lakes Blvd., in Sun Lakes. The public is invited! Please bring your neighbors and friends! Our mission is “education for an informed electorate.”
Nationally, many parents had their eyes opened wide during the lockdowns of COVID-19 when they saw the actual online lessons that their children were being taught in the classroom. Some of these lessons had nothing to do with academics and pushed a definite political or social agenda. Fortunately, thanks to the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Program and the fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children that is enshrined in our U.S. Constitution and was also affirmed in Supreme Court precedent, many parents voted with their feet and chose more appropriate schools for their children.
Please attend our May 8 meeting to hear from one of our most qualified elected state officials! Tom Horne will explain current state education policy initiatives to serve our diverse population and ensure successful skills and academic excellence in our high school graduates.
Horne served 24 years on the state’s third-largest school district board and 10 years as president. He served in the Arizona legislature and was chairman of the Academic Accountability Committee. He was the State Superintendent of Schools from 2003 to 2011 and was elected State Attorney General. While Attorney General, he argued in every court: Superior Court, Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court.
Tom Horne has served in every branch of government:
• Executive: State Superintendent of Schools and Attorney General
• Legislative: Member of the Legislature. On July 11, 2000, The Arizona Republic wrote that Tom Horne “raises the level of debate at the State Legislature by several notches all by himself.”
• Judicial: Judge Pro Tem in the Superior Court and the Court of Appeals
• Local: School Board Member and President
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard College and with honors from Harvard Law School. He taught legal writing at ASU Law School. When not in public service, Horne was in the private practice of law, focusing on trial work. In addition to being an avid supporter of music and the arts, Tom is also a classical pianist who has soloed with local orchestras, such as the Yuma Orchestra and the Scottsdale Philharmonic.
The meeting will begin with an elections analysis by Turning Point USA, followed by presentations from several candidates, including Gina Godbehere who is running for Maricopa County Attorney. As is customary, you will be educated with a jam-packed agenda to make informed choices before the upcoming July 30, 2024, election primary!
For more information, visit our website, www.slgop.org, or contact Mike Tennant at 262-880-4620.