Dive Brief:
- Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas is reportedly "deeply troubled" by the recent relocation of the state's board of education to the governor's executive tower.
- The new offices remove the board from Douglas' direct oversight, which she says is "unlawful."
- While the board voted in April to make the move, it was unclear when it would do so or where it would be going, and its sudden execution felt like a sneak attack to Douglas.
Dive Insight:
Arizona can now join the ranks of states with ongoing feuds between its ed chief and governor. What becomes difficult in some states, like Arizona, is that the ed chief as well as governor are both elected positions, but board members are in some cases also appointed by the governor. As you can imagine this can create difficult situations.
In Arizona's case, the 10 board members other than Douglas were all appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey and, according to AZ Central, the board's president says the move was to protect staff members from an unhealthy work environment, indicating the move largely involves issues between Douglas and Ducey. A big point of contention includes who has the authority to hire and fire board members.