Arizona schools chief Diane Douglas to hold 3 Phoenix-area town hall meetings
May 12, 2017, 5:16 PM | Updated: 7:47 pm
Diane Douglas (Milken Family Foundation Photo)
(Milken Family Foundation Photo)
PHOENIX — Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas will hold three town hall meetings in the Phoenix area next week.
The meetings will be held in order to get input from Arizona residents about the state’s K-12 education policy, according to a press release.
The first meeting will be held at the Phoenix Union High School District Office on Monday from 6 to 8 p.m.
The other two meetings will be held at the Deer Valley Unified School District Office on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. and at the Verna McClain Wellness Center on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m.
According to the press release, Douglas will be holding more town hall meetings across Arizona in the future.
In the past, Douglas has used her town hall meetings to voice her opinion on controversial topics such as Common Core and has been faced with opposition from groups looking to recall her from office.
Douglas will have some other topics to touch on, including her AZ Kids Can’t Wait! education plan that was implemented this year and the $9.8 billion budget package approved by Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday.
In an interview with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac and Gaydos last week, Douglas said the budget, which will raise teacher’s pay about $1,000, is simply not enough to attract and retain teachers in the state.
“If we want great talent for our kids, we need to do better,” Douglas said.
Douglas herself proposed a plan in April that would have given Arizona teachers a raise of about $5,000 under the expansion of Proposition 301.
One of Douglas’ challengers will also be holding an event on Monday.
Tempe Councilmember David Schapira will be moderating a panel discussion at 3:30 p.m. on Monday at the Creighton Governing Board Room.
Please join us on Monday to learn more about this legislative session's impact on students, teachers and Arizona's future! pic.twitter.com/AwCIeZg2LR
— David Schapira (@dschapira) May 12, 2017
Schapira, a Democrat, announced in April that he is running for office against Douglas.
