New leadership will be coming to the Kentucky Department of Education in the coming months. Teachers will be among those keeping an eye on the selection process for a new education commissioner.
The State Board of Education could name an interim commissioner next week. After three years at the helm of the Kentucky DOE, Jason Glass has taken a job at Western Michigan University. Kentucky Education Association President Eddie Campbell said it’s important for the head of the state’s public education department to include dealings with all the stakeholders.
“Having deep conversations with educators who are in the classroom or on the buses or in the cafeterias or front offices, working with our students every day with the parents of our students that attend our public schools in Kentucky,” said Campbell.
Campbell said Glass did a good job. The KEA leader noted another role of the commissioner is to reach out to community members to assess their values and innovations. Campbell added there’s talk of keeping politics and education separate but, quote, “they cross a lot.”
“Politics does not help the struggling student and we need a commissioner who’s gonna be laser focused on the job of serving our students, serving our educators, and bringing our public education system up to meet the challenges of the 21st century world,” said Campbell.
Campbell said those students will be stepping into a very diverse and complicated world. He said the last commissioner search process took about four months. The national search is expected to start in December. Campbell noted the interim is likely to be someone from Kentucky, but he doesn’t think that’s critical in looking for the next permanent education commissioner.
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