In the Chandler Public Library on May 9, newly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas sat and listened to dozens of concerned individuals share their opinions on the state of education in Arizona.

With Douglas sat with Arizona Representative J. D. Mesnard, Doctor Cecilia Johnson, and former Legislator, Senator Leah Landrum Taylor.

“It definitely shows here that education is a priority conversation,” Senator Taylor said about the turnout of the event.

Outside of them room were various fliers and cards displaying anti-Common Core messages which Douglas supplied. Douglas has been traveling around the state on a “We Are Listening” tour. The main idea is to listen to the criticism or approval of all Arizonans. Douglas is against the Common Core Standards.

“I think this is the best turnout we’ve had on all the stops so far,” Douglas announced at the beginning of the conference.

Each speaker stood in front of the board and gave their opinions about any topic regarding K-12 public education. Douglas made it clear that the event was a listening tour, not a question-answer session.

“This is not about politics or political campaign,” she said. “It’s about giving the public the input that I believe never happened back in 2009 and 2010.”

The demographics of the packed hall were predominantly white citizens, roughly 40% of which were teachers.

Topics brought up during the hearings were centered around Common Core the controversial AzMERIT testing and over-testing in general, alleged data mining, and the budget cuts that were made across the board.

Affluent schools seemed to be represented well, while Title 1 schools, which are government funded schools for low-income areas, were mentioned only twice.

Several speakers blasted Douglas and Governor Doug Ducey, with the latter taking the brunt of the criticism for the state’s cuts to education since he took office in January. Many were critical of the anti-Common Core movement, stating that is a standard rather than a curriculum.

Douglas confirmed that this tour is a “two-part tour,” and the second part is slated for August-September.