DFER Arizona Applauds Rhonda Cagle's Appointment as Imagine Schools' Chief Communications & Development Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE At its Nov. 18 annual meeting, the Imagine Schools national board of directors named Arizona resident Rhonda Cagle the organization’s Chief Communications and Development Officer. Cagle, who has served as Imagine Schools’ Senior Vice President of Communications since 2013, will lead the national nonprofit charter school system’s fundraising, government relations, and communications

West Valley View: "City leaders must take the lead"

By Lorenzo Sierra, Avondale city councilman When the most recent Arizona legislative session ended, one thing was apparent — education wasn’t a priority for the state’s leadership. Based on the governor’s polling numbers, parents from across the state, regardless of party affiliation, agree. Thankfully, others understand how important education is to the future of our

The Arizona Republic: Arizona needs to take care of its schools again

By Carl Zaragoza, DFER-Arizona My Turn: Cutting education only dims our children’s futures. It’s time Legislators turned the lights back on. Over the last several years, we’ve seen constant attempts to divide our state. The Republican leadership has regularly opted for an “us vs. them” approach to rhetoric and governing. The anti-immigrant SB 1070 and

This Guy's a Rising Star – Reformer of the Month

This muggy July weather isn’t the only thing that’s heating up. Aaron Marquez, our July Reformer of the Month, is running in the Democratic primary for an Arizona Senate seat in South Phoenix on August 26 and he needs your help today. Early voting starts in just 9 days. Click here to donate $25 or

Huffington Post: Arizona: When it Comes to Failing Schools, the Lesser of the Two Evils is Still Evil

By Christina Martinez As another end of the school year approaches, now is the time to reflect on how Arizona can ensure our students are prepared to compete for the future. All students deserve a great education that provides them the opportunity to learn to their utmost potential and that fully prepares them to enter

Arizona Prefers Prison Over Education

By Christina Martinez, DFER-AZ State Director Originally published on the Huffington Post, April 5, 2014 $1 million to private prison would hurt AZ kids. Budget cuts. Not enough money. Spending cutbacks. If you live in Arizona, you’ve probably heard these words too many times in conversations about government funding. According to Republicans in the state

Diverting Funds from First Things First to CPS: A Zero Sum Game

By Christina Martinez, DFER-AZ State Director Adults at all levels in Arizona have been putting abused and neglected children in grave danger. Over 6,500 cases of child abuse and neglect reported did not receive a response from Child Protective Services (CPS) over the last four years. Recently, 4,900 of those cases have been assigned to

With Liberty and Justice for All?

By Christina Martinez, DFER-AZ State Director With liberty and justice for all. This bold statement of equality in the Pledge of Allegiance is uttered countless times every day across the United States by those who are proud to call this nation home. It was the pursuit of liberty and justice that inspired the Founding Fathers

RELEASE: Arizona Education Champion Elected to State Senate

Contact: Devin Boyle | 202.445.0416 | Devin@dfer.org Christina M. Martínez | 602.316.9732 | Christina@dfer.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Arizona Education Champion Carlyle W. Begay Elected to State Senate Appointed to Fill Arizona Legislative District 7 Phoenix, Arizona, August 6th, 2013 – Democrats for Education Reform Arizona (DFER-AZ) congratulates education advocate Carlyle W. Begay on his appointment

Preparing for Failure

By Christina M. Martinez, DFER Arizona State Director As August looms closer, I can’t help but think of all the students who will be shortly starting a new school year. Each year is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students to achieve to their utmost potential and to become excited about the learning process.