Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas’s attorney Stephen Tully, told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Patricia Starr on Thursday that “the law is clear.” The issue before the Court is who exactly controls the staff of the Arizona State Board of Education (SBE).
Douglas alleges that when the SBE staff moved out of the Education Department building into the Governor’s office, they acted illegally.
Tully advised the court, “The Board has taken action to take power away from the superintendent. The Department of Education (ADE) needs closure on this.”
Attorney for the SBE, Colin Campbell told the judge that he will make a motion move to the suit. While he offered little in the way of legal argument, he muddied the waters by claiming that “the conflict is a political battle” that does not belong in court. The conflict is over who controls education policy.”
Legislators refused to pass a bill which would have turned power over to Ducey. As a result, Ducey’s team attempted to impose the change on Douglas behind the scenes.
SBE staff members serve the Board, of which Douglas is a member. However due to their commitment to Common Core, and Douglas’s rejection of it, the environment in the ADE has grown hostile. ADE staff reported abusive behavior on the part of Christine Thompson, the executive director of the SBE.
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