Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Joint Technical Education Districts (JTEDs) bolster the economy, not just in Arizona, but across the nation. Premier career and technical education (CTE) programs improve high school student achievement, dramatically reduce drop-out rates, and create skilled workers who are prepared to fill almost half the jobs in this country that are middle-skill positions.

The recent debate over Arizona’s state operating budget helps illustrate the genuine challenges facing our economy. Just as real is the enormous promise and potential of Arizona’s most valuable asset: its diverse communities.

Today's (April 13) story, "Winners and Losers," regarding those who gained from legislative action at this year's recently completed session and those who “lost” was telling.

It looks like we touched a nerve. Recently the Arizona Advocacy Foundation led a coalition of non-partisan groups to produce an in-depth study of our state’s most recent election in the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act.

A recent report from the Arizona Advocacy Network attempts, unfairly and inaccurately, to make claims about “thousands” of uncounted votes in recent Arizona elections. The report is exceptionally biased, cherry-picks its data and is grossly misleading.

With the noise of HB2190 now in our rearview mirror, we can now focus on student achievement. High academic standards are here to stay in Arizona, at least for now, as Arizona lawmakers defeated yet another effort to prohibit the state from using the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards (ACCRS).

Arizona’s growing tech industry, our border with Mexico, and proximity to West Coast ports make international trade a vitally important part of our state’s economy. In fact, Arizona exported $19.4 billion worth of goods in 2013, constituting more than 7 percent of Arizona’s GDP.

If you want to glimpse the future of a city or state, all you need to do is look at how it’s managing its water supply.

Food has the ability to bring people together. We will see that as we go home to spend the holidays with our families this weekend and we experienced it recently when St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance met with legislators and staff at the Capitol.

In Congress, members of both parties are trying to figure out how to fix the nation’s transportation funding problem. What they need to remember, though, is that funding is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the problems with our transportation system.