The Maricopa County Superior Court is scheduled to hear a case Friday morning to decide if the chief of Arizona schools has the right to hire and fire Arizona Board of Education employees. This case was filed to settle a dispute between the governor and superintendent of public instruction.
In February, Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas fired two members of the State Board of Education, Executive Director Christine Thompson and Deputy Director Sabrina Vazquez. The action was swiftly reversed by Gov. Doug Ducey and the two returned to work days later.
But ongoing personnel and workplace matters prompted board employees to vote to relocate. Last month, staff moved into empty office space in the Governor’s tower.
There was an attempt to clarify Douglas’s powers over the board of education in legislation, but the bill died in session.
