Two candidates confirm they will not be the next Kentucky Education Commissioner

And as an added bonus, "Barbara Erwin" is back In the News 

 

This from KSN&C back in the day:

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Kentucky Board of Education Reassesses

Wherein, KBE Chair Keith Travis delivers the quotes I'd been waiting for

The Kentucky Board of Education voted 9-0 last night to accept the resignation of Barbara Erwin.

After a 2 1/2 hour closed session, they decided to start an immediate search for an interim education commissioner. Kevin Noland, the head of legal services for KDE, has his other full-time job he wants to get back to.

Board chair Keith Travis told the Herald-Leader that he hopes to have a person in place within two weeks.

Travis also said the board was not under pressure to find a permanent replacement and stressed that board members want a Kentucky educator to apply.

If the overall quality of the field produced by the recent national search was as shallow as it seems, one can understand the board's reluctance. And of course, once burned; twice shy. Board members now say they won't use Ray & Associates, which cost Kentucky $50,000, and aren't sure whether they will use a search firm at all.

Travis had been quoted saying he wouldn't call Erwin's hiring a mistake, but yesterday changed his tune when he said that he did not think Erwin was the best person for the job. He told the Courier-Journal that the board tried to give Erwin the benefit of the doubt.

Travis said that he started to question whether Erwin was right for the job after talking with her about the investigation. "We relied heavily on a search firm to provide us information, and probably relied on them too much."

Travis said neither he nor the board encouraged Erwin to resign but that he did have a conversation with her early Friday morning, questioning her about all of the distractions. "The board was having serious concerns about her ability to provide leadership with all of these other issues going on in her life," he said. "At some point, all of these items become cumulative and certainly the one on Wednesday (the missing personnel file) was the icing on the cake."

This from WDRB (Sept 1, 2015):

Two candidates -- including the lone Kentuckian, as well as the only female -- confirmed to WDRB News on Tuesday that they are not two of the remaining finalists for Kentucky Education Commissioner.

Kentucky Education Commissioner finalists from top left: Kathleen Airhart, Christopher Koch, Buddy Berry; and bottom left, Lloyd Martin and Stephen Pruitt (Photos via Kentucky Board of Education)

Buddy Berry, superintendent of Eminence Independent Schools in Eminence, Ky., says being named one of the five candidates in the search for a new Kentucky Education Commissioner was "one of the most humbling honors of my life."

"There are many Kentuckians that I feel could lead this charge, so to be selected to represent our state in this process was a real blessing," Berry said. "I believe being a finalist has been a testament to all the hard work of our students and staff at Eminence and of our focus on creating the future of what schools can be."

Kathleen Airhart, deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the Tennessee Department of Education, also confirmed she is not among the finalists.

"It was a privilege to have had the opportunity to meet with the Kentucky board," Airhart said. "I was a 'nominated' candidate and had not sought out the position independently. I greatly appreciated their consideration and their time.  I found it to be a very thorough interview process and I was honored to be a small part of it."

The Kentucky Board of Education interviewed five candidates Friday and Saturday in closed session in Lexington. In open session, the board indicated it wants in-depth background checks done on two of the candidates, but would not name which ones.

Aside from Berry and Airhart, the other three candidates include: Christopher Koch, interim president of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in Washington, D.C.; Lloyd Martin, chief executive officer for Universal School Solutions, LLC, in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Stephen Pruitt, senior vice president at Achieve, Inc., an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization in Washington, D.C.

Roger Marcum, chairman of the Kentucky Board of Education, told WDRB News on Monday the state has no objection if the five named candidates "self-disclose" whether they’ve made it to final vetting.

Koch, Pruitt and Martin have not indicated if they are among the two finalists.

And now, a Moment of Zen...

The board will spend between $10,000 to $12,000 to conduct "extensive background searches" on the two final candidates to prevent any information that may be "embarrassing or disparaging to the state" from being released, Marcum said.

Marcum said the background checks are to avoid repeating the controversy involving Barbara Erwin, the woman who was named education commissioner in 2007, only to resign from the job before her first day after media outlets across the state questioned the integrity of her resume, as well as other concerns.

"We don’t want what happened with Dr. Erwin to happen again," said Marcum, who noted that none of the current board members were on the board that appointed Erwin commissioner. "We are taking this responsibility to properly vet the candidates very seriously."

Terry Holliday was named education commissioner in 2009 and was in charge of overseeing the education of 675,000 students in Kentucky's public schools. His last official day on the job was Monday, Aug. 31.

The state board has appointed Associate Commissioner and General Counsel Kevin Brown to serve as interim commissioner starting Tuesday, Sept. 1, until a new commissioner is installed.

Berry said he feels Kentucky "stands poised for unprecedented educational achievements."

"While I’m disappointed to not be chosen, Kentucky is, and always will be, my home and I can’t thank the Kentucky Board of Education enough for allowing me to be a part of the conversation for its future," he said.

Marcum said he will call a special meeting of the state board once the background checks are complete in two or three weeks.

Marcum: KBE "taking this responsibility to properly vet the candidates very seriously."

Marcum wants 'extensive' background checks on commissioner finalists

This from Toni Konz at WDRB:

The Kentucky Board of Education has narrowed its search for the next state education commissioner to two candidates, but the board won’t say which of the five publicly identified finalists are still in the hunt for the job.

The board will spend between $10,000 to $12,000 to conduct "extensive background searches" on the two final candidates to prevent any information that may be "embarrassing or disparaging to the state" from being released, said Roger Marcum, chairman of the state board.

"We don’t want, once we’ve announced who our next commissioner is, to find out something we don’t know on whoever that person is," Marcum told WDRB News on Monday. "Either one of the finalists may be selected as our commissioner, and we want to know everything there is to know about them."

The Kentucky Board of Education released the names of the five candidates on Thursday, and the board interviewed all five over the weekend before announcing that two finalists remain.

The five are: Kathleen Airhart, deputy commissioner, chief operating officer for the Tennessee Department of Education; Buddy Berry, superintendent of Eminence Independent Schools in Eminence, Ky.; Christopher Koch, interim president of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in Washington, D.C.; Lloyd Martin, chief executive officer for Universal School Solutions, LLC, in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Stephen Pruitt, senior vice president at Achieve, Inc., an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization in Washington, D.C.

Marcum said the background checks are to avoid repeating the controversy involving Barbara Erwin, the woman who was named education commissioner in 2007, only to resign from the job before her first day after media outlets across the state questioned the integrity of her resume, as well as other concerns.

"We don’t want what happened with Dr. Erwin to happen again," said Marcum, who noted that none of the current board members were on the board that appointed Erwin commissioner. "We are taking this responsibility to properly vet the candidates very seriously."

Terry Holliday was named education commissioner in 2009 and has been in charge of overseeing the education of 675,000 students in Kentucky's public schools. His last official day on the job is Monday, Aug. 31.

The state board has appointed Associate Commissioner and General Counsel Kevin Brown to serve as interim commissioner starting Tuesday, Sept. 1, until a new commissioner is installed.

Marcum told WDRB News the state has no objection if the five named candidates "self-disclose" whether they’ve made it to final vetting.

However, two of the candidates told WDRB News Monday they were asked not to disclose any information about the search process or what qualities they would bring to the job if selected.

A third candidate -- Berry, the superintendent of Eminence Independent Schools -- said in an email Monday that he’ll “leave it up to the board” to say which candidates remain in the running.

“This is their search and their process, and I’ll let the announcement of which of us five are finalists come from them,” Berry said.

Marcum said he will call a special meeting of the state board once the background checks are complete in two or three weeks.

"I do feel that we are being transparent with this process," Marcum said.

PREVIOUS | Two finalists remain in Kentucky Education Commissioner search
PREVIOUS | Five candidates named in Kentucky Education Commissioner search
PREVIOUS | Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday announces retirement
PREVIOUS | SUNDAY EDITION: Five years later, Kentucky education chief Terry Holliday puts reform back on track

And then there were two

State board trims commissioner field, firm to be hired to 

conduct in-depth background checks on unidentified pair

This from Brad Hughes KSBA:

It will be another two to three weeks before Kentuckians know who is to be the state’s sixth education commissioner, but leaders of the state board of education expressed confidence Saturday that either of the two remaining candidates will be a winning choice for the Commonwealth.

After “give and take conversations” Friday evening and Saturday morning in Lexington, members of the Kentucky Board of Education took less than 90 seconds in public session to reduce the applicants to replace retiring Education Commissioner Terry Holliday to “candidate 8921” and “candidate 5379.”
Department of Education staff will work with the board’s search consultant, Greenwood/Asher & Associates, to hire “an appropriate entity to conduct in-depth background checks” on both individuals.

While KBE Chairman Roger Marcum didn't identify those still under consideration, he and KBE Vice Chairman Jonathan Parrent said the search process has put Kentucky in a win-win situation.

“We had an unbelievably thorough, great discussion about extremely well-qualified candidates,” said Parrent, a Madisonville community college executive. “They are both outstanding professionals who I know will move Kentucky forward.”

Marcum said, “I’m very optimistic that once Kentuckians see who we’ve selected, and that either one could do a great job of leading the foundation that we’ve built and the work that remains to be done, that this will be the right person to lead us where we need to go with education in Kentucky.”

Marcum, a former superintendent, said he hoped the KBE will meet within two to three weeks and formally offer the job to one of the two candidates.

Holliday retires on Monday after six years as commissioner. Associate Commissioner and General Counsel Kevin C. Brown becomes interim commissioner on Sept. 1 to serve until the new leader takes over. Marcum said Saturday he still hopes that will happen within a 60- to 90-day window after the position is offered and accepted.

The five interviewed over the weekend were:

• Kathleen M. Airhart, Ed.D., deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the Tennessee Department of Education.
• Buddy Berry, Ed.D., superintendent of Eminence Independent Schools in Henry County.
• Christopher A. Koch, Ed.D., interim president of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation in Washington, D.C.
• Lloyd D. Martin, Ph.D., chief executive officer for Universal School Solutions, LLC, an Ohio education consultancy firm that he owns.
• Stephen L. Pruitt, Ph.D., senior vice president at Achieve, Inc., a nonprofit education reform organization in Washington, D.C.

More background checks “to be sure”

When the KBE launched its search for Holliday’s successor in June, more than one member made points about wanting the most thorough process possible. In 2007, the state board hired Illinois superintendent Barbara Erwin, but she resigned just before starting work after resume errors and leadership issues were made public.

Marcum said the deeper background checks, which will cost between $8,000 and $10,000, and the choice to abandon a goal of hiring someone before Holliday’s retirement date, are solid decisions.
“We’re taking that extra time because we want to be sure that we’ve properly vetted the candidates. It’s obvious that we’re getting closer and closer to the decision. We want to make sure we’ve done everything we can do to ensure that we’ve checked out the background of the folks we are considering,” he said.

“This background check will be more extensive than what we’ve done on any of the other applicants. There is some expense to that and we didn’t want to spend that extra money until we knew we were really serious about these candidates,” Marcum said. “With these two people, we feel that way.”

Two stood out, many offered input

Out of the five finalists interviewed, the two moving forward "separated themselves" from the others, according to Marcum.

“That’s clear. We have two really strong candidates left for the board to consider,” he said.

Since the Department of Education released the identities of finalists Thursday afternoon, Marcum said KBE members have heard plenty about the applicants under consideration.

“We got a lot of feedback, more than I ever expected,” he said. “It started soon after the press release. From that point on, it was constant – either text messages, emails and phone calls. That tells me how concerned the entire Kentucky community – not just the education community – is about this process. The feedback has been very helpful. And as a result, the board is going to be able to arrive at a really good decision for Kentucky’s kids. That’s been our goal all along.

“I am confident when we make our final decision, it will be a unanimous decision,” he said. “My goal in leading this process has been to make sure that we are in full support of whoever we hire as our next commissioner, and I’m confident that whoever is selected of those final two will have the support of the full board.”

Marcum said the upcoming special KBE meeting will be in its normal meeting place in the Department for Education’s office in Frankfort. He expects the meeting will be webcast live as is the KBE’s practice when meetings are conducted there.

State Board Outlines Target Dates for Decision on New Commissioner

No decision on when the public will learn finalists' names


“I want to stress how extremely important proper vetting is and that it is done well, especially if we are going to make names public at some point. We had a kind of embarrassing situation a few years ago (and) I don’t want that to happen again.”

--KBE Chair Roger Marcum

This from Brad Hughes at KSBA:

The successor to Education Commissioner Terry Holliday could be named a day or two before his Aug. 31 retirement date. But to achieve that goal, members of the Kentucky Board of Education are going to have a “very intense summer, a really busy late summer.”

Late Wednesday, KBE members signed off on a tentative schedule for the search submitted by Greenwood/Asher & Associates of Miramar Beach, Fla. The timetable calls for the board to take a first look at prospective applicants on Aug. 5; meet face-to-face with up to 12 semi-finalists Aug. 14-15; and then conduct a second round of more intensive interviews with the board’s final candidates Aug. 28-29. At Wednesday’s session, it was noted that the board could make a selection Aug. 29.

The question of whether an interim commissioner will be needed to oversee the Kentucky Department of Education between Holliday’s departure and the start day of the new agency CEO remains undecided.

KBE Chairman Roger Marcum of Bardstown said the board would discuss that issue at its August meeting.

“I don’t know (about needing an interim, but) it sounds like we are going to have a period of time there,” Marcum said. “I think we’ll have a better idea after the meeting.”

When former Commissioner of Education Jon Draud resigned in 2009, two KDE staff members served as interims (one retired several months into the search that led to Holliday’s hiring.) An interim also served when former commissioner Gene Wilhoit stepped down in 2007.

Commissioner traits finalized; Kentuckian an issue

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board finalized the list of important candidate characteristics it drafted at its May 7 meeting (Background story here.) An online public survey and search firm interviews with a dozen leaders of state education organizations endorsed the priorities, according to Marcum and consultant Betty Asher.

“Most of them were in agreement with the traits that you have identified that the new commissioner needs to do and must possess,” said Asher, citing three common themes from her interviews: the need for the next commissioner to be attentive to strong relationships with all stakeholders; adamant support for maintaining common core standards; and a person who could balance the state’s “uncertain political environment” with a contested gubernatorial election in November.

Asher also said leaders she interviewed had a lot to say about whether the next commissioner needs to be a Kentuckian, which would be ideal but not a deal breaker.

“They unanimously said they want the best person for the job. And whether (he or she) comes from Kentucky or elsewhere would be perfectly alright,” she said.

Marcum, who said he read every comment posted by citizens in the online survey, found a recurring theme.

“Folks are very concerned that our next commissioner knows Kentucky. The board has made it clear that’s a priority,” he said.

“Some stated it in terms of that it needed to be a Kentuckian. If it’s a Kentuckian who is the best qualified candidate, I would agree with them,” he said. “I don’t want to eliminate folks from out of state who would have an interest in this position who might be the best qualified, but I want them to have what Commissioner Holliday came to this job with, and that’s an extensive knowledge of Kentucky’s past in education and a good bit of knowledge about what we plan on doing going forward. If they are strong candidates -- in state or out of state -- they will have that level of knowledge. That’s all about coming prepared to do the work.”

Next steps, including vetting finalists

Consultant Jan Greenwood said the formal start of the search will move very rapidly following Wednesday’s meeting, with advertisements and other formal announcements of the search. She said that several of the K-12 group leaders interviewed on the candidate traits offered names of potential contacts. She and Asher said they will spend most of this month and July on the phone “building the pool” for the board to consider at its August meeting.

During a discussion of the different ways to vet applicants, Marcum underscored that part of the process.

“I want to stress how extremely important proper vetting is and that it is done well, especially if we are going to make names public at some point,” he said. “We had a kind of embarrassing situation a few years ago (and) I don’t want that to happen again.”

In 2007, the KBE serving at that time hired an Illinois superintendent to succeed Wilhoit. But Barbara Erwin resigned before beginning the job after news media reports exposed errors in her resume and brought attention to leadership issues in her previous employment.

Greenwood said candidate vetting has changed in recent years, including the option of using firms that specialize in “deep” background checks by former FBI investigators. However, she cautioned that some of those options could run as much as $25,000 over the already contracted amount of $80,000 for her firm’s services.

This from the Kentucky School Advocate:

Roger Marcum

In Conversation With…features an interview between a leader or figure involved in public education and a representative of the Kentucky School Advocate.

Roger Marcum is chairman of the Kentucky Board of Education, which has launched a national search for a new education commissioner following Commissioner Terry Holliday’s April 1 announcement that he will retire Aug. 31.

Q: Could you outline the major steps involved in the search for Kentucky’s next education commissioner?

A: At its meeting May 7, the board drafted a list of characteristics and criteria that it would like to see in our next commissioner. That list should be ready this week (week of May 11) to share with the education community for its input and feedback before we draft a final copy. We would then share the list of characteristics with the search firm.

The second step was identifying a search firm. A subcommittee made up of board of education members and staff of the Kentucky Department of Education reviewed the four proposals we received and recommended that Greenwood/Asher and Associates, the firm used when Dr. Holliday was hired, make a presentation to the board. The board voted unanimously to hire that firm.

Q: Is it likely a commissioner will be hired before Dr. Holliday leaves Aug. 31?

A: We are working with the search firm on a timeline and a process for moving forward. The board’s preference would be to have someone in place by Aug. 31 or soon after. But board members have made it clear they are going to take however much time is necessary to make sure we get the right person. We think getting this decision right is more important than just getting someone in place by a certain date. Which leaves us with the possibility of needing to appoint an interim commissioner. I would hope that would not be necessary but that all depends on how well this process goes. Many things could extend us beyond Aug. 31.

Q: What kinds of things?

A: Vetting the candidates. We want to make sure each candidate has been thoroughly vetted so there are no surprises for us. We also want to give the education community enough time to provide feedback and input about what we should be looking for in a new commissioner.

Q: How long will the education community have to respond?

A: I certainly think by the end of this month or early June should give folks adequate time. We plan to do outreach through the website, through all of the “K” education organizations, and through the news media.

Q: An online survey will also be a part of the process for collecting input?

A: Yes, we are going to put out this draft of 12 to 15 criteria that the board came up with and ask the education community to tell us what it sees as priorities. Each board member sent in three to five criteria that they felt were most important.

Q: Was there overlap among board members’ priority criteria?

A: Yes, and I think that says a lot in regard to the board being on the same page in regard to where we are in terms of education reform and where we would like to go. We also included some criteria used during the last search for a commissioner, because lot of that criteria is still applicable. But there are some things that we found that needed to be added, too, including the emphasis on a more balanced assessment and accountability system that leads to results and students being not just college and career ready but also globally competent, experiencing deeper learning than their classroom experiences. This is a priority with the board as part of the Kentucky Rising initiative (a statewide cradle to career strategic plan.) We want someone who has some knowledge and experience in that area and also a willingness to pursue the vision.

Q: Will the desire to have someone with experience leading an initiative like Kentucky Rising narrow the pool of applicants?

A: Yes, quite a bit. Especially since I don’t know of any state that has taken this on. What is most important, though, is that they share the vision of Kentucky Rising and are willing to take Kentucky in that direction.

Q: You have said that considering a candidate’s potential for future success is important. As you pointed out, Dr. Holliday was serving as a district superintendent before he came to Kentucky.

A: Yes, and he has become not only a statewide leader but a leader nationally. He is well-respected across the country as was Gene Wilhoit, the commissioner before, so some of this is about potential and willingness to step up to that increased role not only at the state but at the national level. Several board members feel it is important that we maintain that national presence that we have had under Dr. Holliday’s leadership, under Gene Wilhoit and back to Dr. Boysen’s leadership in the beginning of the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

Q: So we don’t want to lose our status as a leader in education?

A: It helps the morale of our educators and students to know that Kentucky is well-respected across the country. And certainly it is nice to know that leaders in our state might be impacting not just the quality of education for the children of our state, but for all of the children of the United States.

Q: Communication skills were at the top of the initial list of criteria. Can you explain why?

A: I think that it is important in any leadership position. It is not just the ability to have the folks you are trying to lead understand what you are communicating but also getting the buy-in and willingness to do what is necessary to make the vision become a reality. The board emphasized the ability to listen to those who are trying to implement that vision – superintendents, principals, teachers, parents, other partners in education and the student voice. It is important that the commissioner have the ability to understand not only what they are saying, but why they are saying it.

Q: How important is the candidate’s track record in working with the state legislature and other state leaders?

A: We discussed that at our board meeting and it will be given consideration, especially since we have a two-party General Assembly, with the Republican-led Senate and Democratic-led House. The ability to work with both parties is important, while at the same time not compromising on those things we are trying to accomplish for Kentucky’s kids. More resources will be needed to make Kentucky Rising a reality, and not just a vision.

Q: Board members met informally to float names of potential candidates. How many people were mentioned?

A: It wasn’t a large number, and it was not a very fruitful discussion. We are going to need to wait and see what kind of interest we have in the position and how successful the search firm will be in recruiting.

Q: Are there qualities that Dr. Holliday possesses that you will look for in the next commissioner?

A: Yes, there’s no question. He had the vision for how to move forward with the implementation of Senate Bill 1 in 2009 and do that with pretty much no additional resources. He had done extensive study on the reform effort in Kentucky and knew a lot about what we had already done and what we were hoping to do. That helped him hit the ground running. He has laser-like focus, and even his critics would say he is incredibly hard-working. And even though he was coming from a superintendency in North Carolina, he became a pretty prominent national figure as well. Those are all things we would like to see in next commissioner.

Q: Commissioner Holliday had a sometimes rocky relationship with school superintendents. What will you look for in a candidate in this regard?

A: It is important that we hear from Kentucky superintendents about what they are searching for in this commissioner. At the May 7 meeting, Tom Shelton, executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, provided a list of characteristics that they had compiled from his visits to co-ops across the state. I think most of what we are looking for there is with communication. As we know, superintendents are local leaders and much of the perception of local teachers, parents and others involved in local education about what is being done at the state level is formed by the relationship between the superintendent and the commissioner.

One of the things I am hearing as I go to different co-op meetings and share the search process is that they believe we should be considering implementation fatigue among educators. I have said to superintendents at these meetings that early on with KERA we were also talking about implementation fatigue so I do understand. One of challenges for the commissioner is how do you balance moving forward with the vision while still considering that concern about implementation fatigue so that people feel they can move forward with progress and that what we are doing is of quality and is sustainable.

Q: But won’t it be difficult as long as there are no changes in the assessment and evaluation systems?

A: One of the things I see changing, or at least I hope will change, is a more balanced assessment and accountability system. That really drives what happens with instruction and drives how resources are allocated. By a more balanced system, I mean more emphasis on formative assessment and less on summative assessment. Summative assessment won’t go away completely, but more emphasis on assessment at the classroom level that will drive the kind of instruction that leads to deeper learning. A starting place for this is the next generation science standards, because if you look at those science standards, they certainly can’t be fully assessed with pencil and paper testing. You have to demonstrate what you can do with science.

Commenting on Kentucky School News and Commentary

A change in policy

 

Comments to be accepted from registered users

This blog began on September 6, 2003 as The Principal, a simple repository of selected information for my school leadership students to access at a distance. I was transitioning from public school administration to academia. I had an itch to write. Over the next year I audited two UK journalism classes, taught by Buck Ryan and Mike Ferrell. Mike taught me to write better. Buck taught me that I’d never make it as a news editor, and both would say that what I’m doing in this piece is called “burying the lead.” 

By February, 2007, The Principal had morphed into something else called Kentucky School News and Commentary. I still thought of it as a repository; useful to me as a teacher for retrieving educational leadership research. And as a newly-minted citizen journalist/on track for associate professor, I also wanted to “capture” statements made by public officials, to match against their eventual deeds for the purpose of studying education leadership and policy in the state.

KSN&C aggregates news, and offers occasional commentary. On rare occasions, my work load allows me to engage in actual reporting. Those stories have tended to be related to school law (Petrilli v Silberman; Young v Williams; Adams v Beshear [anti-common core]) My perspective is pro public school, from one who has 25 years of successful public school administration experience under his “above-average” belt. And not once was I ever a superman.

In the beginning, I never bothered to set limits on commenting. There were so few; mostly questions. Blogs were still fairly new and it was the Wild West for online citizen journalism. I liked the idea of giving voice to the powerless, but I was also bothered by the distinct possibility that what I was really doing was providing a space for the timid to avoid personal responsibility. From time to time I reminded myself that America was not founded, nor made great, by anonymous cowards. Their greatness came from standing up to authority, signing their names, and speaking their piece.

Then in April 2007, the Kentucky Board of Education was set to offer the Kentucky Education Commissioner’s job to suburban Chicago superintendent Barbara Erwin. Following up on a Mark Hebert story at WHAS, which claimed the hiring was being done in secret, I decided to research and publish pages of background information on the three finalists, and in so doing, found that something was amiss in Erwin’s resume. Working cooperatively with Richard Innes of the Bluegrass Institute, we ultimately confirmed nine resume errors and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yeah, I know. I’ve been hard on them since (mostly for pseudoscientific hyperbole in one form or another) but at the time, we didn’t allow the revelation of emerging differences to divide us. We did the work. And we had agreed to a common set of facts that convinced us that Erwin wasn’t all she claimed. 

All of the news outlets picked up and added to the story. Under mounting pressure, the Kentucky Board of Education decided to show a united front - some holding their noses. But the Chair and the Selection Committee held sway. Erwin was offered the position, and she accepted, but resigned just before she was to take office.

The Board’s infatuation with Erwin caused them to miss their best candidate, Mitchell Chester, who went on to become a well-respected Education Commissioner in Massachusetts.

Readership at KSN&C started to expand and I suddenly had a “real blog” on my hands. So I went with it, but I allowed anonymous postings to continue.

Anonymous comments are not without value. We’ve had lots of great ones from what I suspect is a fairly knowledgeable group of readers. But sometimes a reader’s passions may trigger a harsh response that devolves into flaming, or may even approach defamation. That’s not OK with me anymore. Not anonymously at least. Do that under your own name.

Starting with this post, I am raising the comment setting within Blogger. Let’s see what that does. I hope it helps KSN&C nurture better conversations, where more working professionals feel comfortable sharing their own ideas on improving the schools, in a respectful manner...along with everybody else. 

We will continue to keep 99% of the comments we receive, and we will continue to spike these:

• Promotional comments: Spammed internet trash makes up the great majority of comments we spike. If a comment is solely promotional in nature, we will remove it from the site.
• Harassing comments: While conversation and the sharing of different ideas is encouraged, and appreciated, all comments need to be respectful of others. Argue ideas. Be as witty as you like. But please play nicely with one another.
• Anonymous comments: No longer accepted. We only accept comments from people who identify themselves.

We reserve the right to remove any comments from the site; please leave comments that are respectful and useful.

Richard Day