Hoffman will seek re-election as superintendent of education

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman says she’s running for re-election next year.

Hoffman, a Democrat, identified helping schools and students cope with the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as her priorities.

“I want to make sure we increase the number of mental health professionals in our schools,” she said in an interview. Students have suffered from the isolation caused by the pandemic, as well as personal stresses such as job loss in the family or deaths of loved ones.

A second term also would allow her to advocate for policies that would address the learning losses students have faced during the pandemic, Hoffman said.

“How are we going to serve the students who are disadvantaged?” she said. She noted that most tribal schools were closed for the entire academic year.

Spotty or non-existent internet service hampered online learning, she said, and many special-education students didn’t get the services they’re entitled to.

Hoffman said she’ll keep her focus on data-driven policies informed by listening to educators, students and health professionals. The goal is a high-quality education for every Arizona child, she said in a statement announcing her reelection plans.

Hoffman said she is running with the state’s public campaign finance system, called Clean Elections, as she did four years ago. She disparaged special interest groups that attempt to influence public policy through “dark money” contributions — dollars that are run through nonprofit entities that, by law, don’t have to disclose their donors.

“Running clean is a personal value of mine — but it is also a necessary step in ensuring our elected officials are accountable to the community they wish to serve,” she said.