Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas attempted to fire the executive director of the Arizona Board of Education last week. About one day later, Governor Doug Ducey overturned that decision. That, in turn, led to one of the most surprising and intense press releases in recent history, especially considering the fact that the Republican superintendent of public instruction was pounding the Republican governor with criticism.
In her release, Douglas said “Governor Ducey has refused to take calls or meetings with me personally since his swearing in. Clearly he has established 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.”
And so a new Arizona political feud has begun. To put it in the context of past feuds, we talked with Chris Herstam, former state legislative leader and also the chief of staff for then-governor Fife Symington.
