PHOENIX - Diane Douglas, now within weeks from leaving office as state superintendent of public instruction, says she'll miss the privilege of serving Arizona's children, but not the politics.
The Arizona Capitol Times reports that her four-year tenure was frequently marred by political drama, starting with conflicts with Gov. Doug Ducey and members of the state Board of Education and then with squabbles over the Red for Ed movement and curriculum standards.
Douglas's re-election bid to remain in office was thwarted when she narrowly lost the Republican primary to Frank Riggs, who then lost the general election to Democrat Kathy Hoffman. She takes office in January.
Douglas doesn't blame her loss on her "bumpy start" as superintendent, but on a fractured Republican Party and a chaotic political landscape that included Red for Ed.
