Democratic candidate for Maricopa County Schools Superintendent Laura Metcalfe touts her extensive administrative experience as the best candidate for the job.
My Republican opponent this November is a colleague I’ve worked with for two years.
Mr. Metcalf, 57, and Sheri Boggs, 53, are both members of the board of directors of East Valley Institute of Technology, Mesa’s career and technical education district, known as EVIT.
The winner will run the Maricopa County Regional School District, which maintains homeschool and private school records, oversees district elections, provides education in juvenile detention and operates a residential high school.
It also plans to appoint trustees to fill vacancies in any of Maricopa County’s 58 school districts. That means the winner could have a hand in shaping districts across the Valley.
Here’s what you need to know about Laura Metcalf.
Laura Metcalfe has been a school administrator for many years.
Mr. Metcalfe’s 30 years of education experience ranges from teaching in career and technical education districts to serving as principal of an equine-specific charter school to leading educational programs at a prison in Florence.
The Arizona native also has experience working in the county superintendent’s office, which she is currently seeking to lead.
From 2009 to 2011, Ms. Metcalf served as a small school coordinator in a rural area in western Maricopa County. She took on roles where the district lacked its own staff, including managing grants, updating curriculum and creating safety plans. On some days, her role was as simple as serving lunch to students, she said.
Then, from 2012 to 2015, Ms. Metcalf worked for the lodging district, where she managed state and federal grants and oversaw special education.
Boggs pointed to Metcalfe’s administrative work as a potential weakness, saying her experience could make her an insensitive leader out of tune with constituent needs.
Mr Metcalf denied that theory.
For the past five years, Mr. Metcalfe has worked as an adjunct professor and clinical supervisor for student teachers at several universities.
“There’s no one called ‘Dr.’ Metcalfe left me hanging,” she said. “I don’t use my own agenda to make it one-sided and say, ‘This is my school. I’m your boss, so you’re going to do what I say.'”
Metcalf earned a degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University and holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in education. She was elected to the EVIT board in 2022 and said she immediately leveraged her connections to expand the district’s success.
She partnered with child welfare system advocates to help advance the district’s HopeTech program. We provide apartment style housing For older youth who are no longer eligible for the foster care system. Mr. Boggs was one of the board members who helped start that program.
Mr. Metcalfe also helped facilitate a new apprenticeship program approved by the Arizona Department of Labor. EVIT high school students will now be able to complete their first two years of electrical apprenticeships before graduating, and more apprenticeship options will be added in January.
Who is supporting Laura Metcalfe?
Metcalf’s support includes Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays. Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman lost her bid for re-election in 2022 to Tom Horn. and Pima County Superintendent Dustin Williams.
She is among supporters of the campaign, including Mesa board member Rachel Walden, who sued the district, and Queen Creek board member James Knox, who caused controversy by posting vulgar and sexual memes about Vice President Kamala Harris. and Mr. Boggs’s supporters.
Mr. Boggs said he distinguishes between the background of his supporters as members of Congress and their actions in their personal lives, which he does not necessarily support, but Mr. Metcalfe said he does not make such a distinction. said.
“I will definitely stand behind All recommended diversity and values about this campaign,” Metcalfe said. “No explanation, no apology.”
What will Laura Metcalfe do if she wins?
Metcalfe and Boggs criticized outgoing Maricopa County Schools Superintendent Steve Watson’s financial management after an independent audit this year found more than a dozen financial practices deficiencies. The audit focuses on the lodging district, which may be required to repay more than $6 million to the state following illegal land sales.
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Both candidates promised to fix the problems that led to the deficiencies. Ms Metcalfe has promised to “reimagine” accommodation districts, with the issue at the heart of her platform.
Funding is based on enrollment, so she said they aim to increase both by providing more opportunities for students.
Ms Metcalf hopes to establish a pre-apprenticeship program similar to the one she advocated for at EVIT. She wants to create a high school equivalency program for adults. She wants to start a nonprofit organization like a school foundation that can fund school needs through philanthropy. She hopes to find industry sponsors to donate resources such as textbooks, curriculum and educational materials. By doing so, you can ensure that these costs are not taken out of your district’s budget.
Metcalf also said he would reinstate the advisory committee that Watson disbanded when he was elected in 2016 to ensure the superintendent does not create financial or legal problems in the future.
Although the superintendent serves as the lodging district’s sole board member by law, the advisory committee provided additional accountability. Metcalfe said members review agendas, approve spending, make program recommendations and have undergone training similar to other school district boards in the county.
The committee she envisions would include parents, teachers, industry members, former school district administrators and former school board members.
“I’m not the only one looking at this district,” she said.
If voters are voting without remembering anything else about her, it’s important to note that she has extensive experience in the education field, has demonstrated fiscal responsibility in leadership roles, and that voters at all levels, from parents to school leaders, She said people should know that they intend to work with them.
“We need heavyweights in this office, not lightweights,” Metcalf said. “Look at the situation we’re in right now. We need qualified, experienced, knowledgeable people to solve this. Watson had no clue. We are in a hole.”
Here’s where to contact the reporter: nicholas.sullivan@gannett.com.
