Dear Fellow Democrat:

I’m a technology entrepreneur and lifelong Democrat. I’m writing to you today because of the failure of our political system to deal with an issue of extreme importance to Arizona. I’m referring to the collapse of the STEM (math and science) education in our state, just when we need to grapple with the impact of the new AI economy.

Two thirds of our students are failing to meet minimum standards in math and science. According to the Wall Street Journal, American 15-year-olds are SEVEN YEARS BEHIND Chinese 15-year-olds in math. Think about that for a minute. How are we ever going to compete in a world dominated by AI technology?

We have to fully fund and fundamentally restructure STEM education in this state. We need competitive teachers’ salaries, better teacher training and retention, and a concentrated curriculum that gives ALL students a pathway to algebra no later than the 7th grade. This is going to be a heavy lift.

There is only one candidate in our district who is campaigning on this issue. His name is Anthony Ramirez, and he is a civil rights attorney who defends Arizonans of all backgrounds from greedy corporations and unjust prosecutions. You may have seen his “Fix STEM Now” signs around town.

Anthony’s STEM plan would invest an additional $500 million annually in STEM education, targeted to reducing class sizes and equalizing teachers’ salaries with the private sector.

Anthony is running as an Independent (NOL) so that he can work with both sides to solve this problem. Anthony offers the best solutions to the issues that concern me most. That is why I endorse Independent (NOL) Anthony Ramirez for Arizona Senate.

Sincerely,

Mary Bogdanov