Dive Brief:
- On Tuesday, an Arizona judge ruled that the state's board of education has the power to hire and fire its own staff, not the state Superintendent Diane Douglas.
- An attorney for Douglas said she would likely appeal the decision.
- The lawsuit started earlier this year when Douglas attempted to fire two board employees, and was precipitated by board staffers' relocation to the Governor's Tower.
Dive Insight:
The judge’s decision is the latest in a conflict that has pitted Gov. Doug Ducey and board of education against Douglas, who also sits on the board. She is the only member not appointed by the governor. When she attempted to fire the board’s executive and deputy directors, Ducey stepped in to call the firings illegal. In response, Douglas accused him of interfering.
Since then, the two have tried to paper over their conflict. Following the judge’s ruling, a spokesman for Ducey said he “looks forward to working with the superintendent and the board of education in his continued effort to improve public education for all Arizona students.”
Pending an appeal, the board and Douglas must begin to tackle a few outstanding issues. For one, after board staffers moved to the Governor’s Tower, Douglas blocked their access to documents at their workstations. It’s also not clear whether the board or the state's education department is supervising a program intended to make sure struggling readers get the resources and support they need.