If you are a former state schools chief who was recently voted out, tactfully eased out, or unceremoniously pushed out of office, take heart. You weren鈥檛 alone on your way out the door.
So far this year, 19 states have seen new schools chiefs come into office, and five other states are currently conducting searches for new leaders, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers, which says the turnover this year has been unprecedented.
Why the heavy churn? In a few cases, like that of longtime Maryland Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, officeholders simply decided to retire.
Some turnover can be tied to last fall鈥檚 elections, which featured seven state schools chiefs鈥� races on the ballot, and which saw Republicans wrest control of a majority of governor鈥檚 offices and a record number of state legislative seats. Governors often try to install their own picks as state chiefs, or arrange to have their appointees to state boards of education do it for them. After all, having an ideologically like-minded person in the education job makes it easier to govern鈥攑articularly if you鈥檙e a governor with a controversial agenda.
But changeovers can lead to ill will. A few months after Florida Gov. Rick Scott took office, for instance, Commissioner of Education Eric J. Smith announced he would resign, a move that drew an angry response from the state school board鈥檚 then-chairman. The former chairman implied that the governor, a Republican, had shunned Mr. Smith and was trying to control the board鈥檚 hiring of a replacement.
On June 21, the Florida鈥檚 State board made its selection, choosing Gerard Robinson, Virginia鈥檚 secretary of education, as the next commissioner.
In Ohio, state Superintendent of Education Deborah Delisle announced in March that she would resign, after she said she was pressured to do so by Republican Gov. John Kasich鈥檚 staff.
Don鈥檛 be surprised to see more turnover in the months ahead, including some voluntary resignations. With state lawmakers across the nation pushing for major, and in many cases unpopular, changes in school policy鈥攊n some cases paired with K-12 budget cuts鈥攖hese aren鈥檛 the easiest times to be a state schools chief.
