Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has submitted a statement to Sonoran Alliance explaining and defending an Arizona Department of Education teacher conference in Tucson last month that ABC-15 said was an expensive tax-paid vacation for teachers, their families and friends. (See Friday’s YS.)

The response opened with: “At no time did the Channel 15 report accuse any State Department of Education staff of doing anything inappropriate, and Horne did not attend the event.” The TV report said teachers were skipping classes to tan themselves and socialize in the bar at the Westin La Paloma. Says Horne’s reply: “If local districts find that any of their teachers who attended this conference behaved inappropriately, those districts should hold their employees accountable.” The ADE statement goes on to say major costs for the six-day conference were borne by private industry, with the remainder in federal funding. “No state funding was used,” the agency said.

To read more on this item plus all the stories in the Aug. 3 Yellow Sheet Report, go to www.yellowsheetreport.com (Yellow Sheet Subscription Required).