Board set to choose new Ohio public schools superintendent

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

The new Ohio public schools superintendent expected to be chosen this week will not be directly appointed by Gov. John Kasich, but he will help the Republican carry out an ambitious education agenda that includes expanding school choice and crafting a new formula for divvying state tax dollars among districts.

The 19-member Ohio Board of Education convened its multiday monthly meeting Sunday in anticipation of conducting interviews of the two finalists for the superintendent’s job today. The board’s decision and vote are expected Tuesday.

The panel of both elected and appointed members is choosing between Reynoldsburg superintendent Stephen Dackin and education consultant Robert Schiller. The director of Kasich’s Office of 21st Century Education, Robert Sommers, also was named a finalist but had to drop his bid due to ethics restrictions.

The new superintendent will replace Deborah Delisle, who resigned under pressure this spring. Delisle got the job while Democrat Ted Strickland was governor.

Kasich spokeswoman Connie Wehrkamp said Kasich has met with both Dackin and Schiller but respects the state school board’s right to make the final selection.

“This is a very important decision for the state and it is reasonable for the governor to work closely with the independent Department of Education and the board to decide who the next superintendent will be,” Wehrkamp said. “But at the end of the day he understands the decision rests with the Board of Education.”

Board president Debe Terhar said either candidate for the job will be up to the challenge of revamping Ohio’s educational offerings.

State lawmakers have thrown out Strickland’s so-called evidence-based model for determining district funding levels, a system based on the latest research on such issues as student-teacher ratios, classroom approaches and effective training.

The new governor now wants to come up with a fresh approach.

The budget Kasich signed June 30 contains new teacher evaluation requirements that he says are similar to provisions of both Senate Bill 5, the divisive collective bargaining overhaul that’s facing a repeal effort, and Ohio’s application for Race to the Top, President Barack Obama’s quality-schools competition.

“The governor wants the new superintendent to put kids first, help them be successful at whatever it is they want to do, and work in partnership with parents and teachers to make this happen,” Wehrkamp said.