Frank Riggs, former CA congressman, AZ superintendent hopeful who touted charter schools, dies

Frank Riggs, a former California congressman and candidate for Arizona governor and superintendent of public instruction, has died. He was 73.

Riggs served in the U.S. House of Representatives for six years before he moved to Arizona with his family. An early supporter of the charter school industry, Riggs played a key role in the system’s growth by sponsoring the Charter School Expansion Act of 1998, which sent federal grant money to assist charter schools with startup costs.

“He believed in the underdogs,” his ex-wife Cathy Riggs said. “He believed strongly in creating education opportunities for children that didn’t have the opportunity to attend good schools.”

Riggs later spent a decade running a Maryland-based nonprofit company, Charter Schools Development Corp., that provides loans to charter schools. Many of its initial investments were in inner cities, according to Cathy Riggs. During that time, he also helped establish the online charter school Arizona Connections Academy in 2005. 

Nevertheless, he called for stricter oversight of Arizona’s charter schools while on the campaign trail for state superintendent in 2018, touting his experience with the industry as providing necessary background to tighten regulations. 

He defeated incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas in the five-way 2018 Republican primary but lost to Democratic opponent Kathy Hoffman in the November general election.

Before wading into the superintendent fray, Riggs served three congressional terms in the 1990s, where he worked on the House Education and Workforce Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families.

The politician also launched an unsuccessful campaign in the 1998 California senate race and an unsuccessful campaign for the 2014 Republican nomination for Arizona governor. His 2018 bid for superintendent would be his last attempt at public office. 

His passion for education began in Windsor, California, in the 1980s, where he served as a school board member before running for Congress. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appointed him to the education committee, a role Cathy Riggs said he loved because it allowed him to open up dialogue on how to improve the education system. 

“It wasn’t about an us or them, or about unions, or any of that stuff. It was, ‘What can we do to make sure our children succeed?’” Cathy Riggs said.

Outside of the political spotlight, Riggs enjoyed discussions about current events and was an avid nonfiction reader. He loved watching sports and spending time with his three children and seven grandchildren, whom he leaves behind.