Officials with the state board of education are spending extra funds to conduct extensive background checks on the finalists for education commissioner. The board over the weekend narrowed the field of frontrunners from five to two. Board Chair Roger Marcum says they want to sidestep a repeat of a situation in 2007, when the newly hired commissioner resigned amid controversy. “It makes it more difficult when those kind of things happen to find a qualified person and it causes embarrassment," said Marcum. "We want to avoid that if we possibly can."
In 2007, then Illinois superintendent Barbara Erwin resigned just days before she was to start as Education Commissioner in Kentucky after media reports about the integrity of her resume, among other concerns. Marcum says the additional background checks will cost about $10,000. The board chair says the names of the two frontrunners will not be released prior to making the hire.
Marcum hopes the next commissioner can help build on the foundation of a quarter century of reforms. Under court order, Kentucky enacted the state Education Reform Act in 1990. Marcum says in addition to college readiness, deeper learning, critical thinking, and global competence are all important. “It’s taking us even further so that’s gonna be a challenge," he said. "And since we are expecting more of our educators and more of our students, I think the relationship building piece of this is gonna be important for the next commissioner."
Board General Counsel Kevin Brown is serving as interim commissioner following Terry Holliday’s retirement this week. Marcum expects the board to make a hire before the end of the month.?
