A Republican state senator wants partisan school board elections in Arizona, which she says will encourage accountability.
“It’s more to make a statement about the process,” State Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) told The Arizona Sun Times. “Right now the process for electing school boards lacks in the accountability and transparency department. Candidates don’t have to be accountable to a party. Voters don’t have a clear understanding of the political lens these candidates are going to be basing decisions on.”
Ugenti-Rita pre-filed SB 1010 for the upcoming legislative session, which begins on January 11, 2022.
She said that partisan school board elections will allow for legitimate debate about issues like Critical Race Theory, property taxes and other typical school board issues.
“What makes a better electoral process?” she asked rhetorically. “I think this does.”
Ugenti-Rita also balks at the idea that the term “partisan” has a negative connotation. She noted that the people who frame partisanship in a negative light are generally left-wingers and the media, and that she’s proud to be transparent about her Republican views.
She also defended the logistics of the bill, too, saying that ballots are already set up for candidates to list their party affiliations, and that adding party affiliations to school board election ballots would be a simple process.
“I’ve yet to hear a valid reason from the opposition for why this is a bad idea,” she said.
Meanwhile, State Rep. Steve Kaiser (R-Phoenix) pre-filed HB 2009, for the upcoming session.
That bill would allow legislators to refer potential illegal activity by school boards to the Arizona Attorney General.
“This bill is not an effort to address a specific illegal activity by a district or charter school,” Kaiser told The Sun Times. “Instead, this is a mechanism to enforce any civil law that a district or charter entity would violate.”
School board meetings across America have become a political battleground, and figure to remain that way during the 2022 election cycle.
Many right-leaning parents have turned out to protest initiatives like mask mandates, transgender bathrooms and curriculum like Critical Race Theory (CRT). In some cases, law enforcement authorities have been used by school boards against parent protestors.
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Michelle Ugenti-Rita” by Michelle Ugenti-Rita. Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
