Dr. Laura Metcalfe has close to three decades working in public education. Many of those years as an administrator in various functions in the Maricopa County Schools Superintendents office.
With a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, she currently sits on the East Valley institute of Technology (E.V.I.T.) governing board.
In this election cycle, Dr. Metcalfe is hoping her close to three decades of public-school experience will propel her to victory in this November’s race to succeed Steve Watson as the Maricopa County School Superintendent.
Mr. Watson, his recent term as Superintendent, consumed with questions of financial mismanagement to the tune of $10 million was defeated in a three-way race for the Republican nomination.
Dr. Metcalfe will now be facing fellow E.V.I.T. board member Shelli Boggs.
Looking at Ms. Boggs’s website, she seems to be more in line with the MAGA -Republican perspective of who should teach in classrooms, what should be taught in classrooms, and the type of persona that should serve on governing boards.
Among the people and organizations endorsing her are extremist Justine Wadsack and fake elector Jake Hoffman.
If elected, Dr. Metcalfe would foster a culture of fiscal accountability, innovative professional development opportunities and student-center programs, especially in career pathways, and inclusion.
Dr. Metcalfe graciously took the time to interview a second time with Blog for Arizona to discuss her candidacy for Maricopa County School Superintendent.
The questions and her responses are below.
- Please tell the readers two reasons why you would like to be Maricopa County Superintendent.
Two reasons why I want to be the Maricopa County school superintendent. is number one is that there are 10 million dollars missing from this office and I have the qualifications and the experience from having worked in that office as an administrator and also having worked for the Maricopa County Accommodation School District, where some of that money is missing. I’m qualified with 25 years of school finance experience, to make sure that we can make those wrongs corrected and right the ship for both the office, and the Accommodation School District.”
“Secondarily and dovetailing on to that, I am the most qualified candidate. I have 30 years of public-school experience. Twenty of those years as a school district administrator in various capacities here in Maricopa County. I’m also certified as a school district superintendent here in the state with a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. I’ve also held the the titles of high school business teacher. Career and Technical Education Director, District Level Administrator in various capacities, and I’ve been a High School Principal.”
“My opponent hasn’t done any of that.”
“And I am also a school board member for East Valley Institute of Technology, which also, this office replaces school board members who stepped down from their seats. So, I’m also qualified to be able to understand the role of a school board member and be able to make relevant choices that are pro public, education and focused on school district. success.”
“I think the most qualified, motivated, and experienced individual for this position. Whereas my opponent does not have any of those qualifications or motivations. She’s doing this based on party agenda.”
- What are at least two reasons voters should choose you over your opponent?
Well, first of all I am a dedicated educator and not only am I qualified as I’ve mentioned in question one, but I am looking to support our public schools here in Maricopa County. There are 58 school districts. And as I mentioned, this office replaces school board members who stepped down from their seats, and having served in that capacity as an elected school board member, we have to make sure that we place individuals on a public-school board, who supports public education. A right-wing personal and public political agenda does nothing for our public schools except distract them. It disrespects them and it’s also very demeaning and it’s destructive because those agendas do not focus on what school districts need. They focus on internalizing, bloodletting, and imploding our school districts. That can’t happen.”
“The other reason is that I I’m just the most qualified individual for this seat again. Again, I’ve worked in that office as a School District Administrator for the Accommodation District. And I was also the Small Schools Administrator in this office where I managed the portfolio, between 4 and 500,000 in federal monies for public schools, private schools, and charter schools, and being able to correct the 10 million dollars shortfall, That is something that I have done, not that high of amount, but I have had experience with working with school finance, and I’ll work with and through the Board of Supervisors and the staff at both the school district and the office to make sure that this doesn’t happen again and we bring forth transparency.”
You do not feel your opponent is equipped to handle this 10-million-dollar discrepancy caused by the current office holder.
“That that is right. She believes that her qualifications that helped her make this a fit for her in this office is by attending school board meetings. She does not understand the depth, breadth, and the negative impact that 10 million dollars in this office will have. For example, the Accommodation School District may go into fiscal receivership with the state because their budget is 3.1 million dollars for this school year, and they owe 10 million dollars. Typically, a school district has to go into receivership when they cannot meet their taxpayer obligated expenditures and she does not understand how to manage or understand what School District receivership is. She also does not understand what it takes to be able to balance and fix the areas that, under School current School Finance laws. For example, schools are funded on enrollment. The enrollment in this whole school district is about a hundred kids and that doesn’t bring in enough money to be able to offset some of the receivership elements that are going to be in place, should that occur. So, you have to be able to be strategic and be able to understand the school finance and be able to work within the business area of trying to increase the enrollment in this school district in order to offset some of that debt. My opponent doesn’t understand that. She is sitting at the seat of well, I know who to place on school boards and she’s looking to place MAGA Republicans. That’s as far as it goes. She thinks she understands school finance and she does not. Being President of the East Valley Institute of Technology Board does not guarantee that you know how to fix 10 million dollars in massive debt and keep a School District from going into State receivership. That is a failure on her part.
- Please describe your voter turnout operation and how your campaign will appeal to Independents and like-minded Republicans.
What we’re looking to do to make sure that we have folks that reach all the way down the ballot is we have targeted marketing campaign with knocking on doors of Independents and Moderate Republicans, where I personally go out and knock on doors and leave some information about who I am and talk to them. I am also embarking on personal phone calls to voters who are in those demographics to introduce myself and to talk about what this office is. Most of the time, people just don’t know and being able to know who that person is and what the office is and some of the issues that are going on, especially the missing 10 million dollars of taxpayer money. I think that is a unifying piece and that is the message that we are weaving through all of our personal phone calls and door knocking. We are looking to launch a digital ad to introduce this office, who I am and my qualifications, what’s going on here, and also my proposed solutions. I think no matter what your party is, nobody wants to have their taxpayer money misplaced and misused. So, I think the unifying piece is the fact that the 10 million dollars is substantial and that somebody has to be in there to fix this. Somebody who knows what’s happening. With my qualifications, experiences, and education have set me up for that. I think that’s how we are reaching those Moderate Republicans and Independents.
- Please tell the readers anything not covered in the first three questions that you would like to readers to know about you and your candidacy for Maricopa County School Superintendent.
“I have a three-pronged solution with specific outcomes that I am looking to, bring, repair, and reimagine for both this office and the school district. Number one is fiscal integrity. I will be placing a full-time embedded director of fiscal compliance in the office and her job will be nothing more than to identify and ensure that all transactions of taxpayer money are in accordance with state, federal, and county laws, regulations, and procedures. We will be communicating that out to the Board of Supervisors directly on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis. Plus, we will be communicating outcomes to that goal to the taxpayers in an understandable and variety of formats.”
“The second solution is innovation. There are no school supports, and no school services provided to any of the 58 districts in this County. So, we are looking to bring in targeted and strategic support and services for schools. In the dozen or so School District Superintendents I’ve spoken to, we’re looking at bringing in special education, guidance and support, teacher professional development and support, curriculum guidance and support, and also making sure that school districts have enough Chief Financial Officers to be able to transact our taxpayer dollars at the school district level within state and federal laws and protocols.”
“Finally, we’re looking to bring in inclusion. I don’t care if my opponent or any other Republican thinks inclusion is a dirty word. Inclusion means everybody. Everyone right now, for example, we are looking to include students and adults in an opportunity to not only get their high school diploma but to be able to get a career in technical education industry focused on certification in areas such as in welding, automotive, and construction and be able to take those individuals and give them the instruction and move them forward onto one of the 20 State apprenticeship programs and find an area that is a passion for them. They’ll get a living wage. They’ll get health benefits. They’ll be able to have retirement opportunities. They’ll be able to go into industry that needs people to be able to continue with economic and workforce development. That inclusion will include everyone. Adults and high school students.”
“That is what we are talking about and those are my those are my three solutions to this issue.”
“I want to thank everybody for who listens, to understand who I am, what the magnitude of this office is, and what some of the issues are and how I will bring my knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences to bring corrections and relevance to this office. I think that’s really where we’re at, because no one wants their 10 million dollars missing and we need to put someone in there, who’s not a lightweight, but someone who’s a heavyweight and who knows how to take care of these issues.”
Please click here to find out more about Dr. Laura Metcalfe and her candidacy for Maricopa County School Superintendent.
Please click here to read Dr. Metcalfe’s first interview with Blog for Arizona as Maricopa County School Superintendent Candidate.
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