Arizona Governor Vetoes Three Republican-Backed Education Bills, Including Superintendent Pay Transparency Measure

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs used her veto pen this week to reject three Republican-backed education bills, one of which would have required school districts to make public the contracts and compensation details of top school administrators.

The veto on House Bill 2075, sponsored by Republican state Rep. David Livingston, drew particular attention because it would have compelled all public and charter school districts to submit contracts for superintendents, assistant superintendents, and chief financial officers to the Arizona Department of Education as public records.

In her veto letter, Hobbs said she rejected the bill because it does not cover all education options in the state, citing its robust school choice environment.

"This bill fails to ensure that all options in the marketplace are held to the same level of transparency," the Democrat wrote.

Arizona school superintendent could earn about $475,000 this year in salary and other compensation, according to ABC15's analysis of school administrator contracts and salary data from across the state. ABC15's investigation obtained contracts for more than 100 Arizona district school superintendents through public records requests and found dozens of superintendents had bonuses, stipends, car allowances, and other perks that could increase their annual pay by more than $50,000.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, who has clashed with Governor Hobbs on education accountability measures, blasted the governor's veto as "outrageous" and "a slap against accountability."

"This had support of both Republicans and Democrats, but the governor used her veto pen to make sure taxpayers are kept in the dark," Horne said.

Horne released a statement saying the veto is a "slap against accountability." "We have a lot of great superintendents, but, as an example, is one who makes $400,000 plus benefits and is allowed to run side businesses. Taxpayers have the right to know that," he said. "District superintendents, their various assistants and chief financial officers should be accountable to the taxpayers who pay their salaries."

Other Vetoed Bills

Governor Hobbs also vetoed HB 2040, which would have required teachers to include adoption information whenever contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, or sex education are brought up in the classroom.

Isela Blanc, community and legislative liaison for the Arizona Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, spoke against the bill at a recent hearing. She said it "does not improve education. It adds another layer of compliance to an already unworkable system and further discourages schools from offering any form of sex education instruction at all."

In Hobbs' veto letter, she said the state should focus on finding solutions that put children in safe homes "instead of placing onerous burdens on public education institutions that require adoption information to be provided in inappropriate settings."

The governor also rejected HB 2008, which would have banned public school libraries from financially supporting any professional librarian support services.

In her veto letter, Hobbs called the bill a "shameful and misguided attack on public school librarians" and cited declining literacy rates.

Context

The veto comes amid ongoing tensions between Governor Hobbs and Superintendent Tom Horne over accountability for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or ESAs, the voucher program that lets families use taxpayer dollars for private school tuition or homeschooling expenses.

Hobbs has called for the state to "tackle the waste, fraud and abuse" in the voucher program. Horne has consistently defended the program and criticized transparency measures that would apply to public schools but not to voucher-funded education options.

The governor's decision on HB 2075 reflects her broader philosophy that any transparency or accountability measure must apply equally to all education options in Arizona's school choice environment, including private schools and voucher programs.

Republican lawmakers have criticized this approach, arguing that taxpayers deserve to know how their money is spent on public education positions, regardless of whether those dollars also fund other education options.

The debate highlights one of the central tensions in Arizona education policy: how to balance transparency and accountability with the principles of school choice and limited government involvement in education.