Posted on 01/31/2008 12:09:15 PM PST by GoldwaterInstitute
Inspired Choice: Molera nomination great news for State Board of Education
Clint Bolick, Goldwater Institute Daily Email, January 31, 2008
Governor Janet Napolitano’s nomination of Jaime Molera to the Arizona State Board of Education is welcome news to all who value educational freedom.
Molera served as Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2001-2003 and pursued a reform agenda. Most important, Molera is a passionate champion of parental choice, through public school choice, charter schools, and vouchers and tax credits for private schools.
When Superintendent Tom Horne tried to stifle charter schools with a one-size-fits-all state-mandated curriculum, Molera joined fellow past Arizona Superintendents C. Diane Bishop and Lisa Graham Keegan to publicly support the Goldwater Institute’s legal challenge. Molera serves on the board of the Arizona School Choice Trust, which provides scholarships to low-income children to attend private schools. For over a decade, including his tenure as Superintendent, Molera has not only spoken forcefully for increased school choice but has followed his words with action.
Molera’s presence—coupled with his experience, backbone, and integrity—will bolster the board’s independence on issues such as test score transparency, providing a badly needed watchdog from within.
In announcing the nomination, Napolitano called Molera “one of the most respected voices in our state when it comes to education.” The Governor got this one right; and all Arizonans—taxpayers, parents, and children—will benefit from her choice.
Clint Bolick is the director of the Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation at the Goldwater Institute.
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