PRESS RELEASE: LD4 Senate Candidate Carine Werner Forces Education Cuts, Continues Attacks on Public Schools

Phoenix, AZ - Last week, Republican LD4 Senate Candidate and Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board Member Carine Werner voted against a proposal to help the district pay back tax revenue that was over collected. The result of the vote is that Scottsdale schools could lose $17 million this year and lead to the district cutting programs.

Scottsdale Unified owes the most in refunds of any district in the state. They owe just under 10% of their annual budget, which is more than $27 million. Werner’s vote is likely to force the district to pay higher interest rates (3.5-6% vs. 8%) according to The Arizona Republic which could force the district to cut school funding or teacher salaries in future academic years. 

This represents just the latest in a string of attacks on public schools by Werner. Earlier this year, she was one of only two members of the Scottsdale Unified School Board to vote against extending the contract of the district’s Superintendent, Dr. Menzel. She also criticized the district buying access to e-books for elementary students because there were books on protests included. She previously advocated for banning books. 

LD4 is represented in the Arizona State Senate currently by Democratic Senator and 2016 Arizona State Teacher of the Year Christine Marsh who is running for re-election. The district is expected to be one of the most competitive in the state this November.