Who is Steve Watson? What does a county school superintendent do? Here's what to know
Along with state- and district-level elected school officials, Arizona voters elect a public school superintendent at the county level.
One of them — Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson — has been in the news.
Since he was elected to his first term in 2016, Watson has convened educators from around Maricopa County for an advisory panel and traveled the county highlighting the need for districts to support teachers and school leadership.
But this week, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution saying Watson's office has consistently misspent and misreported money.
That has put the position of county superintendent in the spotlight. Here is what you need to know about the role.
What are the duties of county school superintendent?
Duties of the office include overseeing school governing board elections, bond and override elections and maintaining home-school and private school records.
In Maricopa County, the superintendent also oversees the Maricopa County Regional School District, which serves students awaiting court hearings in county detention and students at Hope High School, an accommodation school for students who left traditional school settings.
Unlike other school districts, the Maricopa County Regional School District does not have an elected governing board, giving the county school superintendent the authority to make decisions on financial and curriculum matters.
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Who is in the office now?
Steve Watson is currently serving his second term as Maricopa County school superintendent. He was first elected in 2016 and then reelected in 2020. He ran as a Republican.
Watson ran for office to create conditions for teachers and students to have “a more joyful school experience,” according to his office's website.
Before being elected Maricopa County school superintendent, Watson was a career and technical education teacher in the Deer Valley Unified School District.
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What has Steve Watson done since taking office?
During his tenure, Watson has run a teacher retention survey to identify some of the challenges around retaining educators. His office also convenes a Superintendent Teacher Advisory Team made up of educators from around Maricopa County. They meet quarterly to discuss school funding and teacher retention.
His office also hosts the financial software used by many school districts in Maricopa County and has a financial management team that supports school districts as they apply for grants and make budget decisions.
In 2017, near the start of Watson’s tenure, the administration opened an elementary school named Esperanza Prep to support young people who were at risk or had previously disconnected from school. Watson’s office closed Esperanza at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
Why was Steve Watson recently in the news?
Maricopa County's supervisors unanimously approved a resolution on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, saying that they do "not intend to provide additional funding" to the Maricopa County Regional School District.
The resolution serves as a public statement from the supervisors disapproving of Watson's management of his office.
What is Steve Watson's salary?
According to The Arizona Republic’s public salary database, Watson earned $76,606 in fiscal year 2022.
Do other Arizona counties have school superintendents?
Yes. Each Arizona county provides educational services and oversight under the direction of an elected county school superintendent.
The superintendents in Arizona’s other counties are:
Joy Whiting — Apache County
Jacqui Clay — Cochise County
Cheryl Mango-Paget — Coconino County
Roy A. Sandoval — Gila County
Donna McGaughey — Graham County
Bryan Boling — Greenlee County
Dru Waggoner — La Paz County
Michael D. File — Mohave County
Jalyn Gerlich — Navajo County
Dustin Williams — Pima County
Jill Broussard — Pinal County
Alfredo I. Velásquez — Santa Cruz County
Tim Carter — Yavapai County
Tom Hurt — Yuma County
Yana Kunichoff is a reporter on The Arizona Republic's K-12 education team. You can join The Republic's Facebook page and reach Yana at ykunichoff@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who are county school superintendents, and what do they do in Arizona?
