It also sounds like Worsley isn't fond of introducing a lot of legislation. (Why was he elected to represent his constituents if he isn't planning to do anything for them anyways?) In fact, at the TEA Party meeting on the night before the primary election, he said he would like to see that legislators only be allowed to introduce one bill per session. (Which he may soon discover that this idea might make it tough to put together a state budget. Budget bills alone are 10-20 separate bills.)
We can't wait to see what Worsley's one bill will be when the session starts. Tax credits for wind farms? Subsidies for green energy? We're sure that his district in East Mesa will be far more interested in Central Arizona Project water bills that benefit ranchers than say, Charter Schools.
Perhaps Worsley's mentor, Stan Turley, forgot to tutor him on the benefits of Charter Schools or mention that Charter Schools dominate the list of highest performing schools in the state?
Here's a refresher course on the other benefits of Charter Schools:
** Charter schools are public schools that are innovative while still being held accountable for improved student achievement. Charter schools vary in mission and model, serving a wide range of students, many with needs beyond the one-size-fits-all traditional public school.
** Arizona is home to 524 charter schools that enroll 133,890 students in the 2011-12 school year. Fully 25 percent of the state’s public schools are charter schools, and 12 percent of all public-school students are enrolled in charter schools — the highest percentage for any state, and second only to Washington D.C.
** Charter schools were authorized by the Arizona Legislature in 1994, and the first charters opened in 1995. Charter schools were established to give parents academic choices for their children and provide a learning environment to improve student achievement. Charter schools contract with the state or district to provide tuition free educational services.
** While total enrollment in Arizona public schools grew 3.4 percent, from 1,043,298 students in FY2005 to 1,078,939 students in FY2011, enrollment in charter schools grew 44.2 percent during the same period, from 85,683 to 123,633. In FY2012, charter students increased by over 10,000.
** Charter schools receive state funds based on student attendance (same as traditional public schools); however, they do not receive funds from local tax revenue (like the 1 cent sales tax increase). On average, charter students receive about $1,765 less than their district peers.
Charter Schools are NOT the reason budget cuts were made to the Arizona Department of Education.
We would like to take a moment to remind our readers that Russell Pearce fought to preserve school choice and empower parents to decide what is best for their children and their educational needs.
Expand school choice and increase parental control. I believe a parent should have the right to educate their child in a district school, charter school, private school or home school. We need to provide parents with the proper information on the academic success of each option so that they can make the best choice for their child.
