How Maricopa County superintendent candidates would manage taxpayer dollars, school boards
ARIZONA ELECTION 2024
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Republican Shelli Boggs and Democrat Laura Metcalfe are running to be Maricopa County's school superintendent.
Steve Watson, a Republican, has served as Maricopa County school superintendent since 2017. He lost in the Republican primary this year, as did Nickie Kelley.
The county superintendent supports school governing board elections and bonds and overrides elections, manages school board appointments, offers school finance assistance to school districts and maintains homeschool and private school records. The county superintendent also runs the Maricopa County Regional School District, which provides education in juvenile detention and operates an accommodation high school.
The Arizona Republic asked each candidate to answer six questions about how they plan to handle the office's key responsibilities. Here's what they had to say, in alphabetical order.
Why do you want this job?
Shelli Boggs: I attended public schools in Maricopa County, as did my children, and I now have school-aged grandchildren. My father retired from Mesa Public Schools after over 30 years as a teacher and coach. My brother has worked in the unified districts for 25 years as a teacher and a principal. For the past 20 years, I have been active in the education arena in Maricopa County, serving as a classroom teacher, school board member and education advocate. I have experienced our county’s schools through many different lenses. I am running to bring a much needed course correction. Students should come first, with a focus on academics over politics. Our schools should respect parents, encourage their involvement and repair parent/teacher relationships. This office must support our teachers and provide them with the tools they need to be successful. Our district and charter public schools must compete to become the first choice for Maricopa County families.
Laura Metcalfe: I worked as an administrator/leader in the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office and I worked as a district-level administrator/leader for the Maricopa County Accommodation School District. These entities provided valuable services to school districts and to students, families and communities of students who were court-involved. Neither organization has operated effectively since 2017.
I want this job because the present state of the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office and the Maricopa County Accommodation School District is nearly ruined. These organizations are close to ruin due to the failure to provide targeted services to any of the 58 school districts of Maricopa County. Only support that is statutorily required is provided.
The proven incompetence of the present elected official, who acts as both school board and superintendent, has brought both organizations a long list of documented and ongoing financial and educational failures. In addition, he has brought unnecessary embarrassment that detracts from the mission and vision of both institutions. I also believe that the staff of the Maricopa County Schools Office and the Maricopa County Accommodation School District deserve a much better leader who values their work. A leader should provide a clear and focused mission and vision without undue distractions from incompetence is paramount.
I feel a strong sense of urgency to implement effective change, which includes working with and through the Board of Supervisors, current staff and outside organizations. This can only take place with an experienced, trained and passionate educator who knows how both of these agencies operate to bring trust, integrity and functionality back to both organizations.
What prior experiences qualify you to manage school finances and steward taxpayer dollars?
Boggs: I am in my sixth year serving as a school board member in a district with a $148 million budget, so I have direct experience with school finances. I prioritized cutting administration costs and increasing teacher pay 40% during my tenure. My district has not had to go to the taxpayers for bonds or overrides. I am fiscally conservative and respect taxpayer dollars.
Metcalfe: My experiences and education that qualify me to manage school finances and steward taxpayer dollars include the following: Certifications as a school district superintendent and principal in Arizona; 21 years as a school and district-level administrator serving public education in small, medium and large school districts in Maricopa County; creation and execution of school, district and education agency budgets aligned with Uniform System of Financial Records, state and federal laws, and Maricopa County financial protocols in the roles of career and technical education director, director of special education, small schools administrator, director of state and federal programs, grant writer, and high school principal; managed a portfolio of state and federal grants in the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office of approximately $400,000 to meet the needs of small school districts, charter schools and private schools; experience working with the Arizona Department of Education to reverse state and federal grants on corrective action to bring these funds back into compliance with state and federal laws, and school district policies to meet program goals, student needs, and aligned budgets; experience working with the Arizona Auditor General regarding school budgets and programs not in compliance with Uniform System of Financial Records, and state, federal and school district policy; experience as an elected school board member for East Valley Institute of Technology reviewing and approving school district Annual Financial Reports; budget creation, program research and creation, implementation and execution of state, federal and private organization education program grants funded in excess of $9 million since 1999; from 1999 through 2022 all school and school district budgets passed all audits with no findings; earned doctorate of education (Ed.D.) and master of education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership.
What is the biggest challenge facing the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office, and how would you address it?
Boggs: The Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office has failed at budgeting for the Maricopa County Regional School District under its authority. The gross financial mismanagement required a bailout from the county that triggered a forensic audit. After reviewing the audit findings, I have identified areas to cut costs and will utilize the monies in the classroom site fund as voters intended — as compensation for our hard-working teachers. I have a track record of eliminating wasteful spending and efficient stewardship of taxpayer dollars. I will provide responsible, balanced budgets that don’t require bailouts.
Metcalfe: The biggest challenge facing the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office is the massive amount of debt that will need to be paid back by the incumbent’s illegal land sale in September 2022, as determined by the recent forensic audit. Nearly $7.5 million dollars will create a huge financial deficit for the Accommodation School District, which the Maricopa County School Superintendent's Office oversees. The Accommodation School District provides education services for some of our most vulnerable students, and those students deserve much better than this. Additionally, all findings from the forensic audit and the yearly school district audit will need to be implemented and reviewed for accuracy, and the judgments against the office and the school district will need to be dismissed once in complete compliance and sustained as such.
The school district will need to be reorganized with a new mission and vision to be attractive and relevant to these students and others. Since the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has voted to suspend financial support for this school district, student enrollment will need to increase to meet financial goals for improved student outcomes and achievement. I plan to reinstate the “Advisory Panel,” which the incumbent dismissed in 2017. The “Advisory Panel” had a strict focus on financial and operational oversight of the school district. In working with and through their members, we will also include career and technical education pre-apprenticeship programs in partnership with industry. It is my vision for high school coursework to blend with project-based learning so students can earn high school credits in core classes. It is important to include industry-recognized experience and credentials, and college preparation to provide a seamless transition into industry, apprenticeship programs or college meeting each student’s needs.
We will also work with the Legislature to expand the adult high school diploma program and career and technical education industry-recognized certification to be an option for adults in Maricopa County who do not want to earn a GED.
How will you work with the County Board of Supervisors to improve student outcomes?
Boggs: The Board of Supervisors allocates the budget to the Superintendent’s Office. I will be a good steward of those taxpayer dollars, prioritizing student academic growth by: utilizing all resources, including the classroom site fund, adopting a performance-based compensation system that includes measures of academic progress and individual teacher performance, providing teacher development programs to assist teachers in achieving their professional goals.
Metcalfe: The current relationship with the Board of Supervisors is unprofessional, stressed and hostile. The incumbent does not work well with the current Board of Supervisors, and this has been documented in meetings since his election in 2017. There is a need for change to improve student outcomes immediately. I will execute the following actions to work with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors:
The first step to ensure improved student achievement will be to foster consistent personal and public communication with the Board of Supervisors and seek input and feedback from them.
Ongoing communication with the Board of Supervisors to include updates, challenges, successes, and meeting of goals on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. These updates will include the progress of student achievement and agency improvements.
Student achievement will be based on the proper use of funding to hire highly qualified teachers and staff who are passionate. Each employee will receive professional development on curriculum and state standards to help all students pass state-mandated tests and achieve a high school diploma.
The Maricopa County Accommodation School District will be reorganized with a new vision and mission to attract a variety of students and partnerships with industry and other organizations to help it be more relevant.
Hiring of an on-site, full-time director of fiscal compliance starting on day one.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Boggs: I have an action-oriented, results-based leadership style. I identify a problem, create a proposal and then implement a solution, utilizing the input and assistance of stakeholders. As an example: Youth that age out of the foster care system face abrupt homelessness and a lack of support as they attempt to transition, on their own, into adulthood and self-sustenance. Statistics show that these young people go from one taxpayer-funded system to another. I tailored a program that allows them to achieve trade certifications and/or associate degrees that will put them on the path of becoming successful, contributing members of society. This project involved collaboration with district administration, legislators, local elected officials, charter school operators and foster care organizations and required a laser focus on the goal to keep it moving forward on schedule through the pandemic. I had the honor and privilege of attending the first graduating class of the partnering charter school in May and construction of the residential unit has been completed and opens this month.
Metcalfe: I would describe my leadership style as participative, visionary, transformational and servant-based. All of these types of leadership have been very successful in different situations over my 30-year career in education.
Describe the process by which you will make school board appointments. To what extent will you involve school district and community input, and why?
Boggs: Appointments are a critical responsibility of the county superintendent. I serve on a school board that has had a vacancy, so I have experienced the current process. I will improve it by seeking input from both the school board members, many of whom I already have established, working relationships with, and community members to gain insight into their priorities and needs. It is important to consider both to ensure the appointment is best suited to step into the role of serving their district community.
Metcalfe: The process I will take to make school board appointments will be in accordance with state law, Arizona Revised Statute 15-302.A.3.
School districts will be the leaders in selecting their school board replacements, as they know who is most suited for the betterment of their school districts, communities and families. They will receive and review the resumes of interested applicants, interview and make three choices for the office. I will review the submitted recommendations through a panel interview, a personal interview and a required background check. Applicants must be supportive of public education, familiar with the values of their communities and attend training to understand the responsibilities and duties to be an effective school board member.
This office will offer the option for school districts to work with the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office to assist with organization of school board candidate recruitment, arrangement of community panels, coordination of the collection and analysis of community input, structuring of community candidate forums and other activities to ensure a fit for a school board replacement. Working with this office will be strictly optional and not required.
Reach the reporter at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County superintendent election: Where candidates stand
