Huppenthal to run for state superintendent

Right now Arizona schools are making the grade, but one state senator wants to run for the top position in public education to make Arizona's education better.

John Huppenthal, chairman of the Senate Education Accountability and Reform Committee, was in Yuma Tuesday to talk about his vision for education in Arizona.

Huppenthal said he met with the Chamber of Commerce, various school districts, leaders at Arizona Wester College and paid a visit to the newly remodeled Kofa High School. He also stopped by the Yuma Sun.

While he won't make his official announcement of intent to run for state public schools superintendent until January, Huppenthal said he plans to run in the August 2010 primary election. Huppenthal has been in the state Legislature for 17 years, during which he has introduced multiple bills to help improve education, he said.

And he said he wants the position to help make an impact on education in Arizona.

"As superintendent you can have enormous influence. I think Arizona is poised to have some of the best schools in the nation."

Right now, Arizona ranks 21st in the RAND (Research and Development) Corp.'s list of top education systems, but Huppenthal said he has a plan to make Arizona schools better.

"I don't want to be 21st, I don't want to be in the top 10, the top five - I want to be first."

Huppenthal said he'd help Arizona achieve that through "cracking the literacy issue," "supporting the school districts" and "shining a light on successful" school districts and collecting ideas that work to implement in other districts.

When it comes to the child literacy rate, Huppenthal said Arizona is close to the national average, but 40 percent of fourth-graders do not have adequate reading skills.

"We've got to crack that problem," he said.

The solution, he said, is to look at a model currently used in Florida. Educators in that state have dramatically increased the students' skill sets through working on more than just phonics with children.

"There's no reason why we can't duplicate that," he said.

While the studies done on the Florida students used paid tutors - and Huppenthal acknowledged that Arizona just doesn't have the money for that - he said the state could consider using older students and volunteers to help the younger students work on their reading skills.

"We're going to have to start looking at that," he said.

His goal is to get the state at a 90 percent literacy rate by fourth grade, he said.

While there may be ideas on how to help improve the state of education in Arizona, Huppenthal said - even if elected superintendent - "in the end, districts have to put programs in place."

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Stephanie A. Wilken can be reached at swilken@yumasun.com or 539-6857.