The head of the Senate Education Committee is blocking the confirmation of one of the governor's picks for the Board of Education.
On Monday, Sen. Kelli Ward and other foes of Common Core failed to get a majority of their colleagues to approve legislation requiring the standards to be dumped.
"I voted to stop it. But I couldn't stop the other people from voting their way," said Ward.
So on Tuesday Ward struck back. She had hearings on three of the nominees chosen by Gov. Doug Ducey for the board. But she refused to even schedule a time to consider Tim Carter, the Yavapai County school superintendent.
Ward told Capitol Media Services there's only one reason: Carter not only supports the academic standards she opposes, he also helped craft them. So with the defeat of the abolition vote, she used the tools she has left.
"There's a large outcry against Common Core. And so one of the few things I have as the education chair is the ability to try to stop Common Core right here at this Education Committee level," said Ward.
Ward's unilateral action will have no immediate effect. By law, gubernatorial nominees are allowed to serve for up to a year without being confirmed.
Ward said her decision is not necessarily irrevocable. In essence, the Ward said she is putting him on probation.
"I've been getting some communications from his district and around the state that people wanted me to kind of give him a 'testing-the-waters period,' which I think is great," Ward said.
Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato would not comment on whether his boss believes it's appropriate to sideline the nomination based solely on Carter's views about Common Core.