Arizona, Tucson at Odds Over Ethnic Studies

Arizona education department officials and administrators for the Tucson Unified School District are set to do battle over whether the school district should continue to offer its ethnic studies, particularly Mexican-American studies, in light of a new state law tightly restricting such classes.

Tom Horne, Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction, turned up the heat on the controversy by sending a letter Aug. 3 to the superintendent of Tucson Unified threatening to withhold 10 percent of basic state aid to the district when the new law goes into effect Dec. 31. That law bars public schools from providing classes that are designed for a particular ethnic group, that advocate ethnic solidarity, or that promote resentment toward a race or group of people. ( "Studies Take Aim at Policies on English-Language Learners in Arizona," May 19, 2010.)

Mr. Horne contends that Tucson Unified’s ethnic studies courses match the kind barred by the law, House Bill 2281. He declared his department’s intention to withhold funds in the letter to John Carroll, the superintendent of Tucson Unified. Mr. Horne also formally requested that the superintendent videotape all of the ethnic studies classes in the district “in their entirety”...