As votes continue to be counted, Sherry Boggs has a narrow lead in the Maricopa County Superintendent’s race.
Boggs, a Republican, and Laura Metcalfe, a Democrat, are both sitting members of the East Valley Technical College Board of Trustees. The two said they have worked well together despite their political differences.
“It’s going to be a close fight, but I’m very confident that this will go my way,” Metcalf said Tuesday night as he held a slight lead in the early tallies. Prefectural Police Inspector’s Office. ”
Early in the campaign, the candidates talked more about similarities than differences. Both men have criticized two-term incumbent Steve Watson, who is seeking re-election, and said he would reform the way the office manages its finances and provide more input from the community on important decisions. Both parties said they would not participate in negative campaigns.
However, after the primaries, the differences between the two candidates became clearer. Mr. Metcalf leveraged his experience in numerous management roles to develop a detailed plan for the new program and multiple layers of oversight.
Boggs leaned into culture war issues, pledging to depoliticize the classroom and eliminate critical race theory, gender studies, and “woke” politics. She also promised to rekindle trust between teachers and parents.
Mr Metcalfe used Mr Boggs’ support from controversial politicians to paint his opponent as too extreme to hold office. Ms Boggs said she remained committed to running a positive campaign despite the attacks against her.
“I know in the end I’ll be able to say I ran an honorable and honest race. I didn’t have to do anything negative. I just stayed honest and true to myself,” Boggs said Tuesday night. spoke.
The county superintendent oversees the Maricopa County Regional School District, which provides education in juvenile detention facilities and operates residential high schools. The Superintendent’s Office also maintains homeschool and private school records and administers school district board elections and guarantee and preference elections.
Students enrolled in the county’s public school districts could be affected by the decisions of the newly elected superintendent, who is tasked with appointing trustees to fill vacancies in Maricopa County’s 58 school districts. That means the winner will play an indirect role in shaping the district’s policy.
Voting ended Tuesday at 7 p.m. Arizona election results are unofficial until local and state officials have counted all ballots and certified the results.
Arizona allows voters to drop off early ballots at polling places on Election Day, but those ballots must be processed and verified before being counted. Full unofficial results are currently expected to be released between November 15th and November 18th. The race could be called sooner depending on the close margin and the number of uncounted early votes.
2024 Election: View Arizona election results
Mr Boggs and Mr Metcalf campaigned on fiscal responsibility and appointments.
Early in the election cycle, Boggs and Metcalf presented themselves as fiscally responsible alternatives to outgoing Maricopa County Superintendent Watson, who lost to Boggs as the primary candidate.
Both candidates criticized Watson’s leadership, saying he has the ability to clean up the Maricopa County Regional School District administration. An independent audit of the district released earlier this year found more than a dozen deficiencies in financial practices, including the mismixing of more than $200,000 in funds and $6.4 million worth of illegal land sales.
They also pledged to revamp the school board appointment process to include more community input. Mr. Watson personally interviewed each candidate and chose the one he believed to be the strongest, regardless of district preferences, an approach that Mr. Boggs and Mr. Metcalfe flatly rejected.
Mr. Boggs and Mr. Metcalfe said they avoid making appointments based on political ideology, with Mr. Boggs saying strong political leanings in either direction are a red flag for appointees, and Mr. Metcalfe saying his own They said the appointment will reflect their values and ideals of promoting public education. local community.
Despite their political differences, Mr. Boggs and Mr. Metcalf also said they were not interested in a fight, given their existing professional relationship. However, political conflicts soon began, and both sides began to acknowledge their differences.
What is the difference between Metcalfe and Boggs?
Metcalf issued a press release in August accusing his opponent of being unfit for office because of his ties to a “far-right, negative and highly unprofessional school board member.”
Queen Creek Unified School District board member James Knox caused controversy this summer after posting vulgar and sexual memes on social media. He was one of the supporters Boggs’ campaign displayed on its website before permanently deleting the support page.
Other prominent Boggs supporters include indicted sham elector Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek). Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, and Mesa Public Schools Trustee Rachel Walden lost their case against the school district over guidelines to support transgender students.
Mr Metcalfe argued that he was “the only reasonable and qualified candidate”. She cited her extensive teaching experience as a selling point. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and a doctorate in education from Northern Arizona University and has experience working in both the Maricopa County Superintendent’s Office and the local school districts it oversees. She was elected to the EVIT Board of Directors in 2022.
If elected, Mr. Metcalf would build community and industry partnerships, create a high school diploma program for adults, reinstate the advisory committee that Mr. Watson disbanded in 2016, and hold government accountable. He said he wants to further strengthen his responsibility.
“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.”
Boggs said her lack of administrative experience is a plus because it puts her in a position to better empathize with constituents’ needs. She has been a teacher for over 10 years and was first elected to the EVIT Board of Directors in 2018.
“I think the biggest problem in our education system right now is management, because they can’t see beyond the role of management,” Boggs said. “I may not have all the academic or administrative degrees, but people like to follow people who are strong in their beliefs and values, especially in education.”
In the months leading up to the general election, Boggs emphasized his intention to eradicate concepts framed as politics in the classroom, particularly critical race theory, gender studies, and “other ‘woke academic politics.'” . In 2020, the “extreme rise of far-left politics” was causing chaos in the classroom.
If elected, Boggs will depoliticize the classroom, create more professional development opportunities for educators, listen to parents in decision-making, and rebuild trust between parents and teachers. He said he would build it.
This article will be updated as election results are reported.
Here’s where to contact the reporter: nicholas.sullivan@gannett.com.
