What's next for Yecke?

Florida K-12 Chancellor Cheri Yecke said whether she stays on as the No. 2 at the Department of Education depends on the new No. 1, Eric J. Smith. The Board of Education voted 7-0 yesterday to make Smith the next education commissioner, choosing him over Yecke and Joseph Marinelli. Asked by The Gradebook after the vote if she'd be staying at DOE, Yecke nodded to Smith and said, "It's at his pleasure."

Former Gov. Jeb Bush hand-picked Yecke for the chancellor's job in 2005, after a short, tempestuous run as the education commissioner in Minnesota. Her tenure here has been largely free of controversy. But during yesterday's candidate interviews in Tampa, Board Chairman T. Willard Fair asked Yecke about the turmoil at her previous jobs, both in Minnesota and Virginia, where Yecke had also been commish. "There's quiet, there's a storm and then there's productivity," Fair said. What about you added fuel to the fire, he asked?

Yecke said she arrived in Virginia and Minnesota when those states were just beginning battles over accountability. "Florida is a different situation," she said. "You've already won the accountability wars." In response to another question, she said political trends in Minnesota – where she was appointed by a Republican governor - made her relations with a Democrat-led Legislature that much more tense. Minnesota is "a blue state trying to go purple," she said. And Democrats "wanted to extract a pound of flesh from the governor."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

[terminator]

I guess that means she doesn't have any other job offers at this time.
I'm sure they'll stick her in some office over at the crystal palace along with the other useless Jeb "legacy" staffers!
Fair's a fine one to talk. Anyone see how as Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Empowerment Zone Trust, Dade taxpayers got ripped off for close to $60 million dollars that was supposed to go to helping poor people.
Instead, fatcats, lobbyists and insiders got sweetheart deals from the trust.
Mr. Fair, you should be ashamed of yourself and resign from the state board!

Hey, a reference to the projects started by the leaders of the Class Size Reduction movement. You are right; this is all a big sham (or shame).

The woman has stated that she would resign if not elected Commissioner. I think it's time to let the petulant child practice what she preaches.