Comments on “Charter School Board Conflict of Interest” Post

by David Safier

After Mary Gifford read my last post, AZ Charter School Board Conflict of Interest?, she called, wanting to correct the record, which I told her I would be happy to do. I mentioned that she can comment directly on the blog so her ideas won’t be filtered through my words. She said she understands that, but she would relay her facts and ideas to me. I’ll do my best to represent what she said accurately.

Gifford felt I didn’t represent her relationship with K12 Inc. accurately in my last post. I wondered if she had “moved on” from her position as head of Arizona Virtual Academy. Her correction indicates to me that I was correct in the general if not in the specific. Rather than being directly associated with AZVA as she was in the past, Gifford is currently the Regional Vice President for Student Services for K12. Her job is to oversee the company’s virtual academies in a number of western states, including Arizona. She lives in Arizona as she has for many years, so my statement that she may have moved to Virginia was incorrect.

My primary hunch that Gifford was an employee of K12 as the head of AZVA before, but now she has what I called a “corporate function,” turns out to be correct.

However, I was wrong to say she is connected with K12 International Academy. I went back to the K12 website and found I had clicked to the wrong page and got my facts wrong. I apologize for the error. However, K12 Inc. and the K12 International Academy share a common address in Herndon, VA, and they are both mentioned on the website.

Toward the end of our conversation, Gifford commented that my inaccuracies might have been subtle, but she wanted to correct them. I’ve done my best here.

She was also concerned I misrepresented what I called a conflict of interest in her position on the AZ State Board for Charter Schools where she has served for about 10 years, first as Governor Hull’s appointee, then as Horne’s Superintendent Designee.

Gifford said she has held this position in part because of her expertise on charter schools. A google search revealed a long standing involvement in charter schools and some impressive credentials. In the mid 90s she headed the Goldwater Institute’s Center for Market-Based Education and wrote numerous articles and pamphlets on the topic of charter schools. She spoke regularly on the topic at national conferences. And her ongoing relationship with K12 and directorship of AZVA add to her comprehensive understanding of the field.

Refuting the idea of a conflict of interest, Gifford emphasized that she is a strong believer in the value of charter schools, and so she has a stake in maintaining high standards and holding the schools accountable. She says both her own character and the credibility of the Charter School Board are important to her, which is why she asked me to correct the record.

I have to say that I’m not convinced that the regulations governing charter schools are as rigorous as they should be, and I feel the Department of Education errs on the side of advocacy as opposed to oversight when it comes to charter schools. Ms.Gifford and I disagree on those issues, but I think we both agree it’s important to get the facts straight.