NEWS

Board of Education escalates feud with Diane Douglas

Fed up with Arizona school chief Diane Douglas, the Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday to pave the way to sue her over two key disputes, saying she is not fulfilling the duty of her office.

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez
The Republic | azcentral.com
  • Diane Douglas and Board of Education members have feuded over various issues
  • The board's executive director, Christine Thompson, announced her resignation last week
  • The board's executive assistant, Karen Gray, announced her resignation Tuesday
State schools Superintendent Diane Douglas skipped Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

The Arizona Board of Education on Tuesday approved taking legal action against schools Superintendent Diane Douglas, saying she has not fulfilled her duties.

The board has dueled with Douglas for months over the bounds of her authority, dating to Douglas' unsuccessful attempt to fire two board staffers in February.

The feud has escalated in recent weeks after Douglas accused board President Greg Miller of grabbing her arm during a board meeting and filed a report with the Department of Public Safety.

Miller, who said he has been interviewed by a DPS investigator about the allegation, disputes Douglas’ account and said he had planned to seat her further from him at meetings to prevent such allegations in the future.

A DPS spokesman said Douglas’ report is under review.

The superintendent was absent from Tuesday's special board meeting. In a statement issued moments before it began, she said the gatherings have become a spectacle under Miller’s watch that are "used to advance his own agenda.”

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During the one-hour meeting, the board approved legal battles with Douglas on two fronts.

"We are done," Miller said. "We are going to move forward with all options that we can."

The board authorized legal action to require Douglas to grant its investigation unit remote access to records and information. The unit is charged with examining allegations against educators.

The information is housed at the Department of Education, where Douglas' office is housed. The board left the building to work in the state's executive tower amid its disputes with Douglas.

Douglas’ office maintains that the data, if accessed remotely, could compromise sensitive teacher and student information and that board staffers can examine the information during business hours at the Department of Education building.

The board also authorized legal action to try to force Douglas and the Department of Education to take down the board’s old website, which is maintained by the department.

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When the board moved its offices across the street, it launched a new website and asked the superintendent to take down the old site and redirect traffic to the new one. The department complied briefly, but hasn't since June, said board executive director Christine Thompson.

Thompson, too, has been at the center of controversy.

In February, Douglas unsuccessfully tried to fire her and now-former Deputy Director Sabrina Vazquez. Gov. Doug Ducey stepped in, arguing that the authority to hire and fire board staff lies with the board. Ducey and his administration have since deliberately avoided weighing in publicly on the actions of Douglas and her staff.

Douglas filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court and in July, Judge Patricia Starr sided with the board, saying it has the power to hire and fire, not Douglas.

Douglas is appealing the decision.

The disputes have thrown the board staff into turmoil: Thompson announced her resignation last Friday, Vazquez left her position in August and board executive assistant Karen Gray’s resignation was announced Tuesday.

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The board voted to post the positions and to create a committee to vet candidates.

Through her spokesman, Charles Tack, Douglas declined to comment on the board’s votes.

However, in her statement before the meeting, she took issue with the agenda, saying the board frequently includes items “never discussed for inclusion that have no purpose but to incite conflict and create billable hours for his attorneys."

She also criticized Miller's decision to seat her further away from him. The two have typically been seated next to each other during Board of Education meetings.

Miller said he wanted to prevent future allegations against him. "That's why she's not going to sit next to me again," he said after the meeting. "She's not going to pull that, she's not going to set me up."

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In her statement, Douglas contended Miller cannot "control his temper at any disagreement," and charged that he has "become focused on using seating assignments and mute buttons to suppress all opposing views."

She added: “It is disappointing that while he is already under investigation for an assault charge stemming from an incident at a previous SBE (State Board of Education) meeting, Mr. Miller finds it impossible to control his temper without dictating where people sit and being able to turn off the microphone or yank it away if he disagrees."

Follow the reporter on Twitter @yvonnewingett. Reach the reporter at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.