Saturday, March 26, 2005
Kansas superintendent of Schools Search: The Fix is In
Kansas education superintendent Andy Tompkins has announced he will leave his post in June to take a job at KU.
Now the board has announced that each of its 10 members will appoint one person to the committee committee seeking a replacement for Dr. Tompkins. The board makes no mention of what qualifications are necessary to serve on the search committee. Will they be professional educators? Administrators? Academic experts?
Given the track record of the six conservatives on the board in the science standards dispute, most likely the majority of the appointments will be made on the basis political or ideological agreement rather than professional qualifications or experience.
If that happens, Kansas will be saddled with a know-nothing board and a know-nothing superintendent. That's a bad combination when you're trying to educate kids.
Now the board has announced that each of its 10 members will appoint one person to the committee committee seeking a replacement for Dr. Tompkins. The board makes no mention of what qualifications are necessary to serve on the search committee. Will they be professional educators? Administrators? Academic experts?
Given the track record of the six conservatives on the board in the science standards dispute, most likely the majority of the appointments will be made on the basis political or ideological agreement rather than professional qualifications or experience.
If that happens, Kansas will be saddled with a know-nothing board and a know-nothing superintendent. That's a bad combination when you're trying to educate kids.
