Pima County superintendent hopeful Margaret Burkholder is working to renew her teaching certificate after it expired just weeks before voters are to go to the polls.
By law, county school superintendents are required to have a valid teaching certificate but Burkholderβs teaching license expired last week, something she was unaware of until contacted by the Star on Monday.
Certification requires 90 hours of professional development and a valid fingerprint clearance card, both of which Burkholder says she has and has submitted to the Arizona Department of Education by mail.
While Burkholder β who currently teaches at La Paloma Academy β expects to be re-certified by Nov. 8, the Arizona Department of Education says the renewal process can take four weeks.
Burkholder, a Republican, is running against Democrat Dustin Williams for the Pima County School Superintendent seat.
Should Burkholder win the race before her certification is renewed, a voter could contest the election, said Pima County Elections Director Brad Nelson.
However, the county elections office does not determine the qualifications of a candidate so it would be up to a member of the public to take that course of action after a winner has been officially declared.
The job, which pays $76,600, is not rooted in policymaking. Rather, it is heavy with administrative duties including conducting bond and override elections, filling vacancies on school boards, overseeing budgets to ensure reporting is accurate, handling registration of teaching certificates and facilitating training opportunities for educators, among other responsibilities.
The current county school superintendent, Linda Arzoumanian, is retiring after nearly two decades of holding the seat.
