Editorial cartoon by Kelcie Grega/The State PressIn case you have been living under a rock (or just a pile of midterm papers) and somehow missed it, a feud has been brewing between Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas and Gov. Doug Ducey.
Douglas opted to fire two Board of Education staffers on Wednesday, even though they report to the 11-member panel and not specifically to her. On Thursday, Ducey said she had illegally fired them and they were free to return to work. Douglas responded with a press release titled "Arizona Superintendent of Public Schools Diane Douglas Did Not See Doug Ducey's Name on the Ballot for State Superintendent," in which she questioned Ducey's ability to unfire the staffers and accused him of creating "a shadow faction of charter school operators and former state Superintendents who support Common Core and moving funds from traditional public schools to charter schools."
While these Republican office holders duke it out over minuscule issues, Douglas has been making a scene and behaving in a manner similar to that of a toddler who hasn’t had their afternoon nap yet. While she’s shoving microphones, hanging up on interviewers, firing staff left and right, composing bizarre press releases and running from cameras, Ducey is acting as maturely as could be expected for someone tangled in the situation at hand.
Unfortunately for Douglas, the few points she made that are actually relevant and should be getting attention are overshadowed by her childish behavior.
Douglas said Ducey is funding charter schools at the expense of public schools. As seen by his budget, which continues to take more and more money away from education — classroom funding was something he said would take top priority during his campaign and State of the State Address — he has not committed to ensure that the education system is in a stable place and has instead invested in Arizona’s already-convoluted prison system.
Arizona's universities will lose $75 million this year, and the state Department of Education will lose $13.5 million.
By jumping the gun and acting outlandish in order to get her voice heard, Douglas effectively further silenced her opinions and put them on the back burner. Ducey’s time had to be spent overturning Douglas’s decision, which then created more drama.
It’s unfortunate that we live in a state where petty rivalries between same-party office holders are more important than handling hard-hitting issues, but unfortunately, that’s the hand that’s been dealt to the Grand Canyon State.
Douglas and Ducey must put their differences aside and focus on getting back to fixing the problems of our great state. If Douglas is truly serious about holding Ducey accountable for his so-called discrepancies, she’ll abandon her tantrum and bring all of her issues to the table. It’s high time that she starts acting like a true adult rather than a true politician.
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