State schools chief Tom Horne said on Thursday that Governor Katie Hobbs’ veto of a bipartisan bill allowing public access to the salaries of district superintendents and other executive staff is “outrageous and a slap against accountability for tax dollars.”
Horne said, “The governor’s veto is outrageous and makes no sense. We have a lot of great superintendents, but as an example there is one who makes $400,000 plus benefits and is allowed to run side businesses. Taxpayers have the right to know that. District superintendents, their various assistants and chief financial officers should be accountable to the taxpayers who pay their salaries. The problem right now is that some districts make it difficult or impossible for the public to know how much those public employees are getting paid. H.B. 2075 would have easily fixed that problem. This had support of both Republicans and Democrats, but the governor used her veto pen to make sure taxpayers are kept in the dark.”
He added, “The vast majority of district superintendents and many other executive staff make six-figure salaries because the size and scope of their job is very large. But it is reasonable for the public to know exactly what those salaries are and whether they are appropriate or potentially excessive. The governor’s veto is both disappointing and wrong.”
H.B. 2075 was intended to increase transparency by making salary information for school district executives publicly accessible.
More details about Horne’s response can be found in the organization’s press release.
