Dive Brief:
- The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has invited over 40 nominees to apply for the state's education commissioner position, since current commissioner Chris Nicastro plans to retire at the end of the year.
- Interested parties have until Dec. 1 to apply for the state's top ed position, and while invitations were sent to the 40-something candidates, those who were not nominated can still apply.
- On Dec. 5, the State Board of Education plans to have a closed executive session where they will narrow the applicant pool down to between three and five finalists, who will then be interviewed for the position. After the interviews, the board will vote on the new commissioner.
Dive Insight:
Nicastro, the current commissioner, has not exactly had the smoothest time in office. Last November, two legislators called for her resignation, alleging that she often abused her power. To illustrate this claim, they pointed to leaked department emails that highlighted the ed chief's role in the creation of an anti-tenure measure.
Moving forward, the state would ideally like a less controversial leader. That said, disputed leaders are somewhat difficult to avoid in the education world, as everyone has their own opinions on the "right" and "wrong" way to move education forward.