A sure sign of failed leadership is to ignore the fundamentals until they mushroom into a crisis.

Or when the crisis occurs, to deny responsibility and deflect blame.

Or to pick fights with the very people who are in a position to help.

In the case of Maricopa County Superintendent Steve Watson, it’s been all of the above.

The head of county schools, who faces two challengers in the July 30 Republican primary, is seeking a third term. He doesn’t deserve the opportunity.

Watson has been on the defensive since accounting irregularities in his office were uncovered two summers ago — problems that pose financial liability to this day.

Maricopa County supervisors discovered in 2022 that he had taken out an unauthorized $2 million loan from the bank using an existing line of credit for which there was no collateral.

An examination of the Accommodation School District that Watson directly oversees revealed commingling involving some $200,000 of funds and improper or missing financial documentation — including how nearly $1.7 million in federal grant money was spent.

Even though they weren’t legally obligated, supervisors approved county funds to cover........

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