>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO SUNDAY SQUARE OFF.
I'M BRAHM RESNIK.
MANY ARIZONA VOTERS SAY
EDUCATION IS THEIR NUMBER ONE
ISSUE IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
TODAY A DEBATE BETWEEN THE TWO
PEOPLE VYING TO BE
SUPERINTENDENT.
SUPERINTENDENT. DEMOCRAT KATHY HOFFMAN AND
REPUBLICAN FRANK RIGGS.
WHAT DOES ARIZONA SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT REALLY DO?
ARIZONA'S SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
HAS A PLATFORM TO LEAD ON
EDUCATION ISSUES, WITH SEATS ON
THE STATE'S PUBLIC SCHOOL,
CHARTER SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY
BOARDS.
BOARDS.
BOARDS. THE SUPERINTENDENT'S MAIN JOB IS
DOLLING OUT ABOUT $6 BILLION IN
STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING,
REVIEWING CURRICULUM AND
TRAINING, PUTTING LEGISLATION
ACTION INTO EFFECT, LIKE THIS
SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM OR AZ
MERIT TESTING.
MERIT TESTING. ALSO COMPILING DATA ON STUDENTS'
AND SCHOOLS' PERFORMANCE.
KATHY HOFFMAN DEFEATED DAVID
SHAPIRA IN THE DEMOCRATIC
PRIMARY.
PRIMARY.
PRIMARY. SHE'S CERTIFIED AS A SPEECH
THERAPIST AND TEACHES IN PEORIA
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. SHE HAS DEGREES FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AND THE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON.
FRANK RIGGS WON THE FIVE
CANDIDATE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY BY
249 VOTES.
249 VOTES. INCUMBENT DIANE DOUGLAS FINISHED
THIRD.
THIRD.
THIRD. RIGGS IS A FORMER CALIFORNIA
CONGRESSMAN.
CONGRESSMAN. HE RAN FOR ARIZONA GOVERNOR IN
2014.
2014.
2014. AND
2014. AND HE'S ALSO THE CEO OF A
FORMER STARTUL COMPANY THAT
STARTED CHART SCHOOLS.
WELCOME TO SUNDAY SQUARE OFF.
LET'S GIVE THE FOLKS THE GROUND
RULES FOR THE DEBATE.
THERE WILL BE NO OPENING OR
CLOSING STATEMENTS.
CLOSING STATEMENTS. I WILL ASK QUESTIONS OF THE
CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. THE CANDIDATES MAY QUESTION EACH
OTHER DURING THEIR RESPONSES.
ANSWERS WILL NOT BE TIMED.
MY JOB IS TO ENSURE YOU EACH GET
A FAIR OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER
EVERY QUESTION.
EVERY QUESTION. I WILL WARN YOU THERE IS A NO
FILIBUSTER RULE ON THIS SHOW.
THERE'S NO LEGISLATIVE POWER,
THERE'S A BULLY PULPIT, BUT
THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO BY
GETTING MONEY TO THE RIGHT
PLACE.
PLACE.
PLACE. THAT'S BEEN A PROBLEM FOR DIANE
DOUGLAS, THE INCUMBENT.
FRANK RIGGS, WHERE CAN YOU MAKE
THE GREATEST IMPACT IN THE
SHORTEST TIME AS SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT?
SUPERINTENDENT? >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I WOULD POINT OUT THAT I'M THE
ONLY CANDIDATE WITHOUT OBVIOUSLY
A PROVEN RECORD IN THE
LEGISLATIVE AND POLITICAL ARENA
AS A UNITED STATES CONGRESS RAN
ON EARLY CHILDHOOD ELEMENTARY
AND SECONDARY EDUCATION.
I THINK BROADLY SPEAKING, BRAM.
WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF CRITICAL
ISSUES.
ISSUES.
ISSUES. ONE IS OUR ACUTE WELL-DOCUMENTED
TEACHER SHORTAGE.
TEACHER SHORTAGE. ANOTHER IS CLOSING THE SKILLS
GAP AS EVIDENCED BY THE FACT
THAT 56% OF OUR THIRD GRADERS
FAILED TO SCORE PROF IN READING,
THE FOUNDATION OF ALL LEARNING
ON THE MOST RECENT AZ MERIT
TEST.
TEST.
TEST. WE'VE GOT A SKILLS GAP IN OUR
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY. 10,000 UNFILLED CONSTRUCTION
TRADE JOBS AND AN EQUAL NUMBER
OF UNFILLED COMPUTING JOBS HERE
IN OUR STATE AT A TIME WHEN
WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO MARKET
OURSELVES AS THE SILICON DESERT
IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY.
SO I AINTEND TO ADDRESS A BROAD
RANGE OF ISSUES.
I THINK I HAVE THE EXPERIENCE
AND THE CREDIBILITY WHERE IT
COUNTS.
COUNTS.
COUNTS. AND I WILL ALSO SAY AT THE TOP
OF THAT LIST IS DRAETION SCHOOL
SECURITY AND STUDENT SAFETY.
>> KATHY HOFFMAN, GREATEST
IMPACT IN THE SHORTEST TIME AS
SUPERINTENDENT.
SUPERINTENDENT. >> WE HAVE SEEN WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN WE HAVE SOMEONE WITH ONLY
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE ELECTED TO
THE ROLE OF STATE
SUPERINTENDENT.
SUPERINTENDENT. I STRONGLY BELIEVE AND TEACHERS
WOULD AGREE WITH ME THAT THE
REAL EXPERTS OF EDUCATION ARE
EDUCATORS.
EDUCATORS. AND I HAVE WORKED MY ENTIRE
CAREER TIRELESSLY WORKING FOR MY
STUDENTS FINING SOLUTIONS FOR
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. I
THEM. I HAVE WORKED WITH STUDENTS
ACROSS THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM FROM
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND
STUDENTS THAT ARE GIFTED.
AND I WILL FIGHT TIRELESSLY FOR
MY STUDENTS WHEN I AM ELECTED AS
STATE SUPERINTENDENT.
STATE SUPERINTENDENT. >> OBVIOUSLY, THE CONSTITUTIONAL
OFFICE IS AN ELECTED POSITION.
AND I THINK -- I'VE GOT A
DEMONSTRATED RECORD OF ELECTED
LEADERSHIP AS A PUBLIC SCHOOL
BOARD MEMBER FOR FIVE YEARS
INCLUDING TWO YEARS AS SCHOOL
BOARD PRESIDENT AND THEN THE
FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF ARIZONA
CONNECTIONS ACADEMY.
CONNECTIONS ACADEMY. I THINK IT'S A PRETTY CLEAR
CHOICE FOR THE VOTERS.
>> AND NO DISRESPECT.
YOU'VE WORKED YOUR CAREERS
BASICALLY FIVE YEARS AS A SPEECH
THERAPIST.
THERAPIST. IS THAT CORRECT?
>> THAT IS --
>> DO YOU HAVE DAY-TO-DAY
CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE?
CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE? YES.
YES.
YES. I
YES. I TAUGHT ONE YEAR AS A PRESCHOOL
TEACHER BEFORE I WENT TO U OF A
FOR MY MASTERS DEGREE.
AND ONE
AND ONE
AND ONE THING I HAVE DEMONSTRATED IS MY
ABILITY TO BRING PEOPLE FROM ALL
BACKGROUNDS TO THE TABLE TO FIND
SOLUTIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
TEACHERS, SPECIALISTS, PARENTS,
HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AND
THAT'S EXACTLY THE TYPE OF
LEADERSHIP THAT I WILL BRING TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
>> CAN YOU GIVE ONE SPECIFIC
EXAMPLE WHERE BRING PEOPLE
TOGETHER MADE A DIFFERENCE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THIS HAPPENED COUNTLESS TIMES.
FOR EXAMPLE, I WORKED WITH A
STUDENT WHO THEY WERE ONLY USING
PICTURE CARDS TO COMMUNICATE.
AND I HAD TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT
--
--
-- >>
-- >> I'M
-- >> I'M TALKING ABOUT LARGER.
BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO BE
LEADING A LARGE ORGANIZATION
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. >>
HERE. >> WELL, WE CAN ALSO -- THAT
WAS.
WAS.
WAS. >>
WAS. >> LEGISLATORS AT THE CAPITAL
AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. >> FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF
I THINK I'VE DEMONSTRATED MY
LEADERSHIP ABILITY.
LEADERSHIP ABILITY. I WAS RUNNING AGAINST A CAREER
POLITICIAN, SOMEONE WITH
EXTENSIVE POLITICAL EXPERIENCE
IN THE PRIMARY.
I LED TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND
COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HAVE A VERY
SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN.
SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN. I HAVE, THROUGH MY CAMPAIGN, I
HAVE MANAGED HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF MY
CAMPAIGN BUDGET TO MAKE
DECISIONS THAT ARE FOR THE BEST
INTERESTS OF OUR STUDENTS AND
TEACHERS.
TEACHERS.
TEACHERS. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. YOUR CANDIDACY GREW OUT OF THE
RED FOR ED CAMPAIGN.
CARVELIS WAS YOUR CAMPAIGN
MANAGER FOR A WHILE.
>> OF COURSE.
BUT MY CAMPAIGN DID NOT GROW OUT
OF RED FOR ED.
I FILED MY PAPERWORK TO BE A
CANDIDATE FOR STATE
SUPERINTENDENT AFTER WATCHING
THE CONFIRMATION HEARING OF
BETSY DEVOSS IN THE SPRING OF
2017.
2017.
2017. I
2017. I WOULD SAY I AM ONE OF THE
FIRST CANDIDATES WHO STARTED A
TREND OF TEACHERS RUNNING FOR
OFFICE.
OFFICE.
OFFICE. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED
IN ARIZONA BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD A
LEGISLATURE THAT HAS FAILED TO
ACT, HAS FAILED TO ADEQUATELY
FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE SEEING THIS
TREND OF TEACHERS STEPPING UP
RUNNING FOR OFFICE BECAUSE WE'VE
HAD LEADERS LIKE BETSY DEVOSS
AND DIANE DOUGLAS WHO HAVE NO
CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE.
CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE. >> I WANT TO GET TO FRANK RIGGS.
>> I WOULD POINT OUT, BRAHM,
THAT MS. HOFFMAN AND I CURRENTLY
HAVE THE SAME CREDENTIAL ON
FILE.
FILE.
FILE. AND
FILE. AND WE ARE BOTH CERTIFIED
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS.
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,
MS. HOFFMAN JUST SKIPPED OVER
THE FACT THAT SHE PAID
MR. CORVALIS AT LEAST $25,000.
AND THAT YOUNG MAN IS MISGUIDED.
HE'S MISINFORMED.
HE'S MISINFORMED. AND HE IS A SELF-PROCLAIMED
SOCIALIST WHO SPOKE AS A KEYNOTE
SPEAKER AT THE SOCIALIM 2018
CONFERENCE ON JULY 5TH IN
CHICAGO.
CHICAGO.
CHICAGO. >> MY CAMPAIGN HAS EXCLUSIVELY
WORKED WITH PEOPLE, TEACHERS,
PARENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO
PUT CHILDREN FIRST.
I AM TIRED OF BRINGING THE TYPE
OF PARTISAN POLITICS INTO THIS
DISCUSSION WHEN THE RED FOR ED
MOVEMENT WAS OUR ENTIRE
COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER TO ACT
WHEN WE HAVE SEEN INACTION OF
OUR LEGISLATURES OF POLICY
MAKERS LIKE FRANK RIGGS WHO'VE
BEEN THE PEOPLE CREATING THE
POLICIES, BUT THEY'RE NOT IN THE
CLASSROOMS LIVING IT.
>> THE VERY FIRST TIME I MET
MS. HOFFMAN, SHE COMPLIMENTED ME
FOR MY ROLE IN OFFERING THE
FEDERAL SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW
INTO THE DISABILITIES WITH
EDUCATION ACT.
EDUCATION ACT. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
RIGHT, KATHY, YOU HAVE PAID
MR. CORVALIS25,000, RIGHT?
>> DID YOU PAY YOUR CAMPAIGN
MANAGER FOR THE WORK THAT HE
DOES?
DOES?
DOES? >>
DOES? >> I DON'T HAVE A CAMPAIGN
MANAGER.
MANAGER.
MANAGER. BUT I WOULDN'T ENGAGE ONE WHO'S
A PROCLAIMED PRONOUNCED
SOCIALIST.
SOCIALIST. >> REALLY LEAVE PART SIN
POLITICS AT THE DOOR.
THIS IS ABOUT CHILDREN AND
EDUCATION.
EDUCATION. >> I HAVE A QUESTION.
MR. CORVALIS ISN'T PARTISAN,
THAT'S A GOOD ONE.
>> IS THERE SOMETHING ILLEGAL
ABOUT BEING A SOCIALIST?
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. BUT IT SHOWS A PROFOUND
IGNORANCE OF HISTORY.
THOSE WHO DON'T LEARN FROM
HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT.
>> DO YOU THINK THE 50,000
PEOPLE WHO SHOWED UP AT THE
CAPITOL TO STRIKE AND SUPPORT OF
THE STRIKERS WERE SOCIALISTS?
>> I THINK THE RED FOR ED
MOVEMENT STARTED AS AN ORGANIC
GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS BUT WAS
QUICKLY COOPTED.
QUICKLY COOPTED. >> THERE IS A STATEWIDE VOTE IN
NOVEMBER ON WHETHER TO ERASE
LAST YEAR'S SCHOOL VOUCHER
EXPANSION.
EXPANSION. BUT THAT VOTE COULD LEAD TO
ANOTHER VOUCHER EXPANSION NEXT
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. PLUS, WHY DID OUTGOING
SUPERINTENDENT DIANE DOUGLAS