As a former Tucson City Councilman with a wife serving on the Madison Elementary School District Governing Board, I was disappointed to read the Republic’s recent editorial,"Arizona: Where mediocre education is good enough.” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell once said,"Don’t let perfect get in the way of better.” It’s always easier to point out flaws than generate ideas for improvement. Failing to recognize Arizona’s role as a hub for education innovation ignores many of the resources we possess to improve our traditional K-12 system. We’re home to Arizona State University, the nation’s largest public university, nationally-recognized charter school systems, and some of the most prolific"for-profit” educational institutions in the country. As parents of two young daughters, we are staunch advocates for an accessible, well-funded public school system. We must embrace our strengths, leverage synergies, and individually seek out opportunities to contribute time, talent, and treasure to our schools. One recent small victory for our education community is the new"Extraordinary Educators” license plate. Arizonans can now salute teachers and contribute to classrooms while making a visible commitment to"Support our Schools.”
In 2012, while serving as a Captain in the U.S Air Force JAG Corps at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, my wife Sasha and I saw license plates that read,"Helping Schools.” We asked ourselves,"if it works for Alabama, why can’t Arizona can do it better?” We approached our friend, State Representative Jeff Dial (R- 18), about creating a license plate to help generate additional resources for teachers. He was thrilled to champion our effort. Over the next six months, Sasha testified at the state legislature four times before Representative Karen Fann (House-Transportation), Representative Doris Goodale (House-Education), Senator Kimberly Yee (Senate-Education), Senator Rich Crandall (Senate-Transportation) and their committees. With the support of House Speaker Andy Tobin, Senate President Andy Biggs and elbow grease from Senator Robert Meza and other legislators, the"Extraordinary Educators” bill successfully wove its way through a legislature historically perceived by some as unfriendly to both public school teachers and license plates. With a supportive stroke of Governor Jan Brewer’s pen, our bill became law.
The"Extraordinary Educators” license plate is now available at www.ServiceArizona.com. With a dark green chalkboard background, bright red apple, and the slogan"Support Our Schools,” these plates applaud our educators and signal that Arizonans value the importance of educating our children. Just 2% of Arizona drivers purchasing the plate will generate over $1 million annually in K-8 teacher grants, to be distributed through the Arizona Community Foundation, by Arizona’s twelve elected county school superintendents.
Winston Churchill once said,"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Mediocre education is not okay, but neither is simply throwing stones at the state legislature. The"Extraordinary Educators” license plate is just one example of taking a small idea and making it a reality. With creativity and a commitment to positive solutions, together we can make Arizona a better place for students, teachers, and families!
Rodney Glassman is the Interim Town Manager of Cave Creek, Arizona and can be reached at rodney@rodneyglassman.com.
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