Ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush endorses Huppenthal

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (left) and Sen. John Huppenthal at joint hearing of the state House and Senate Education Committees. (Submitted)

Sen. John Huppenthal, a Chandler Republican who is running for superintendent of public instruction, has picked up the endorsement of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose education policies were credited for improving the performance of that state’s students.

“John is a proven champion of reform and accountability in education, and I know he’s dedicated to changing the lives of Arizona students for the better,” Bush said in a statement released by Huppenthal’s campaign.

Huppenthal, who faces primary challengers Margaret Dugan and Beth Price, said he would adopt ideas from Florida if elected.

“I look forward to having them available,” he said, adding he believes Florida, too, can also learn from Arizona.

The Goldwater Institute has praised for years the education policy changes that Florida adopted during Bush’s term.

The Institute said Bush pursued a dual-track strategy in 1999: Tough testing and parental choice for parents dissatisfied with their children’s and their schools’ performance.

Schools that continued to fail, for example, faced potential student exodus through a voucher program. The Florida Supreme Court later struck down the voucher program as unconstitutional.

But the results of the policy changes were dramatic, especially when it came to the performance of the state’s minority students, according to the Institute.

The average Florida Hispanic students reading score, for example, was higher than the overall average score for all students in more than a dozen states, including Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico, the Institute wrote two years ago.

Huppenthal came to know Bush in October, when the former Florida governor made a presentation to a joint hearing of the state House and Senate Education Committees about Florida’s education reforms.