THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON Op-Ed: Human connection needed
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September 25, 2019
The Voice of the West Valley for 34 years
Valley mayors call for education overhaul BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY
West Valley View Staff Writer
A recent Scottsdale roundtable ostensibly focused on the future of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) industries, with Goodyear as a shining example. Yet the discussion quickly went offline, as Litchfield Park Mayor Tom Schoaf and others called for public education overhauls. “I probably would start by having the United States Congress, the federal government absolutely stay out of education entirely,” Schoaf said. Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels also argued for the dismantling of the current education system and rebuilding it to reflect the needs of an evolving workforce. Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane said he would support the mission “to get rid of the Department of Education and get the federal government out of this because it’s politicized it, (and) it’s pocketed the money for things that are politically directed and not necessarily to the education case.” The mayors’ comments came at the inaugural mayoral roundtable at the Arizona STEM & Innovation Summit in Scottsdale Sept. 17.
Litchfield Park Mayor Tom Schoaf and Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels discuss education at a recent Scottsdale roundtable. (West Valley View photo by Kimberly Carrillo)
Perhaps the best example of the tech windfall is Goodyear, which has seen a rush of recent investment from tech firms. Microsoft has purchased hundreds of acres in the Goodyear for data centers.
Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord credited the recent investment by tech firms to years of planning and investment in infra-
Overhaul...continued on page 2
First responders learn active-shooter scenario skills BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Associate Editor
Jim Clark, a captain and paramedic with the Buckeye Fire Department, is normally out and about trying to help people. But here he was, snarling with a violent voice: “I’m gonna find you! And you’re never gonna forget me!” Last week in Peoria, 150 people were
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hunkering in various rooms of a church, cowering from Clark. Armed with a “gun,” the howling Clark was hunting them down — and firing. In just under 5 minutes, Clark shot 34 people. None were injured, as Clark was shooting foam pellets. This was part of a “train the trainer” active shooter scenario at Christ Church of
the Valley. The event was sponsored by Cleveland training institute ALICE, an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. Before several intense exercises, ALICE staff gave presentations to first responders and community members from around the
Skills...continued on page 4
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