Multiple sources reported today that Kevin Huffman has resigned from his role as the education commissioner as of today. Chalkbeat gives us the scoop on why, from Huffman’s perspective:
Huffman told Blake Farmer of WPLN radio in Nashville that he resigned because the job was exacting a heavy toll.
““I feel like I can only commit to a job if I am really going to give it 100 percent and have my foot on the gas,” Huffman said. “It’s the only way I know how to do it. Just thinking about the toll of the last years and the difficulty of the job, I think it’s a good time for me to pass the baton.”
Legacy
Huffman leaves with a mixed record of support. On one hand, he successfully oversaw the shift to Common Core here in Tennessee as well as a new statewide teacher evaluation system. The Tennessean cites historic test gains as an additional accomplishment.
He also encountered a large amount of controversy for efforts to tie teacher licensure to test scores, and inspired a feeling among some teachers that he didn’t care about them or their voices. This led to calls for his resignation, notably from 63 superintendents last year from a group of legislators this past spring.
Potential Successors
Huffman did not name a successor, but TN Ed Report over in Nashville has some speculation on possible successors:
While Haslam has not yet said who may replace Huffman, two potential candidates are Deputy Commissioner and former Putnam County Director of Schools Kathleen Airhart and former Senate Speaker Pro Tem and now SCORE Executive Director Jamie Woodson. Another potential candidate is Knox County Director of Schools Jim McIntyre, a supporter of the Haslam education agenda.
What Does the Future Hold?
I feel I must preface the following section with a caveat; I’m just a blogger trying to read the tea-leaves in the governor’s decision, which at this point is pretty muddled. That said, I think this move by Huffman and move by the governor in recent months gives us a few indications for what the future may hold for education in Tennessee. Here are my three thoughts on what we should expect in the new few years:
An end to the era of large-scale state-wide reforms – not just because of Huffman leaving, but also because of the lack of funding available as Race to the Top and Gates Foundation money runs out in the next year. The Governor and state legislature hasn’t shown much willingness to raise funding for increased education spending in the state. Without that additional funding, I think it unlikely that we’ll see anything as broad and far reaching as a reform to teacher compensation or perhaps even a voucher program, primarily because we won’t be able to pay for it. And without an education reform champion like Huffman to push these reforms in the face of an increasingly resistant legislature, it seems unlikely we’ll see new large scale reforms like we’ve seen in the past several years.
A focus on securing the reforms we saw in the last several – everything done in the past few months by Haslam screams that he’s more focused on sustaining the reforms he has than he is about passing new ones. The education summit this fall, the state-wide Common Core vetting, and now the stepping down of a controversial education commissioner suggest he’s trying to ensure that his legacy as an education reform is firmly set in stone. This gives him a chance to appoint someone with connections who can work behind the scenes and build support for his reforms not only among school districts across the state but also on the hill in Nashville.
We get an in-state commissioner – Huffman was brought to Tennessee from out of state to inject a new perspective into our education policy. However, he never fully gained the trust of teachers, school board members and legislators in Tennessee. If the Governor is truly concerned with securing his legacy as an education reformer, as I think he is, I think it likely that he will pick a superintendent with in state ties who can work to cement his place in history.
Again, just a bit of speculation based on what we’ve seen in the past several months. What do you think the future holds for the job of Education Commissioner and education here in the volunteer state? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
A Thank You
One final thought. Love him or hate him, everyone should acknowledge that Kevin Huffman took on a job in 2011 that few could handle. Education Commissioner is a huge responsibility and you’re under a constant microscope since few public services touch our lives like education. I say this to the commissioner, as I would to anyone who takes on such a high-profile role in public services, regardless of whether or not I agree with you – thank you for your efforts and for your service to the state of Tennessee.
By Jon Alfuth
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