WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ARIZONA EDUCATION!

This demands a change and as a Councilman I will do my best to make sure our City exceeds the Educational Prerequisites of any company.  With 5 children, education is the key to their future.  Help me make a difference!


Former Intel CEO blasts education in Arizona
by Ginger Rough and Betty Beard - Mar. 30, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Gov. Jan Brewer and the state's top lawmakers got a reality check Tuesday from former Intel Chief Executive and Board Chairman Craig Barrett, who told them Arizona's education system is hindering economic-development efforts.

Barrett's remarks come as Brewer and the Legislature are working to hammer out a state budget.

Education is a major sticking point in the discussions; Brewer is proposing a $170 million cut to universities and a reduction of $72 million in K-12.

The Senate has passed a budget with deeper cuts - $235 million to universities and $242 million to K-12. The House has yet to begin its deliberations.

"Quality education is extremely important to a place like Intel," Barrett said. "(The) education cutbacks don't bode well for that."

Barrett, who said he was not speaking for the company, made his remarks at a board meeting of the newly created Arizona Commerce Authority, the quasi-public agency that replaced the state's Department of Commerce.

Barrett said if Intel were starting anew, Arizona likely wouldn't be in the running for its business.

"I hate to say it, but I think Arizona would not be in the top 10 locales to make that investment," he said.

He added that the company might not even select the U.S. because of non-competitive immigration and tax policies. Intel has invested at least $14 billion in new Arizona plants over the past decade and plans to spend another $5 billion on a fabrication plant in Chandler.

Barrett's comments were echoed by several authority-board members, all of whom are executives of leading Arizona businesses.

Judy Wood, president of Contact One Call Center Inc., said she was concerned about K-12 education. Arizona schools traditionally rank low in both funding and test scores. Wood said she hires for a lot of entry-level jobs and has found that students are lacking in basic skills.

Brewer didn't answer directly whether budget cuts to education would hinder economic development, but she said she would "do everything in my power" to ensure the state has a good education system.

"I think I have staked my career . . . my governorship on education," she said.

The education discussion dominated what was otherwise a largely procedural meeting.

Authority Co-chairman Jerry Colangelo, a Valley sports executive, and Don Cardon, who serves as the authority's chief executive officer, said board members would be required to adhere to a strict ethics policy and disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

"There will be no scandal or abuse at the (Arizona Commerce Authority) in any way," Colangelo said.

Similar entities elsewhere have been criticized for not being open about their business dealings, inflating their job-creation numbers and doling out taxpayer dollars to unproven companies or businesses that have financial ties to government officials or board members

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2011/03/30/20110330arizona-education-intel-ceo.html#ixzz1IDgDu21a