Nominee for commissioner of education draws bipartisan praise at hearing

SCHOOLS AND AWAY FROM POLITICS. THE COMMISSIONER OF A STATE AGENCY IS NOT A POLITICAL PLATFORM. EDUCATION COMMISSIONER NOMINEE CAITLIN DAVIS IS VOWING TO STEER CLEAR OF THE PARTIZAN FRAY. IF CONFIRMED, TO LEAD THE DEPARTMENT WHERE SHE HAS WORKED FOR THE LAST 14 YEARS. IT’S NOT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ADVOCATE. LAWMAKERS FROM BOTH PARTIES ENDORSED DAVIS, CITING HER DEEP POLICY KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY TO WORK WITH DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES IN THE LEGISLATURE. AND WE OUGHT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO CLONE HER TEN TIMES OVER. TEACHERS UNIONS SAY HER BACKGROUND IN THE DOLLARS AND CENTS SIDE OF EDUCATION WILL BE AN ASSET IN DEALING WITH CHANGES UNDERWAY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, BECAUSE IT APPEARS THAT MORE OF THE EDUCATION FUNDING IS GOING TO BE BLOCK GRANTED, AND THE CURRENT NOMINEE DOES HAVE GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF HOW THAT IS, IS HAS BEEN HANDLED. THE EFFUSIVE BIPARTISAN PRAISE FOR DAVIS IS A FAR CRY FROM THE JANUARY 2017 HEARING FOR EDUCATION COMMISSIONER FRANK EDELBLUT, WHO FACED CROSS-EXAMINATION STYLE QUESTIONING. FROM THEN COUNCILOR ANDRU VOLINSKY AND VOCAL OPPOSITION IN PUBLIC TESTIMONY. ASKED HOW SHE WOULD DIFFERENTIATE HERSELF AS COMMISSIONER, DAVIS SAYS EDELBLUT SPENT A LOT OF HIS TIME INVENTING NEW EDUCATION PROGRAMS. I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS, UNDERSTANDING SOME OF THE ONES THAT ARE WORKING, SOME OF THE ONES THAT ARE NOT WORKING, ENSURING THAT ALL OF THE THE SUPPORT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS SUPPORTING PROGRAMS THAT ARE HIGH QUALITY, THAT ARE NEEDED BY STUDENTS, AND GOOD USE OF OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS. MULTIPLE STATE LEADERS TESTIFIED TODAY THEY THINK THE GOVERNOR COULD NOT HAVE MADE A BETTER CHOICE TO LEAD THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. I’M EXPECTING THAT THERE WILL BE A DIFFERENT TONE IN EDUCATION CIRCLES AROUND THE STATE, WITH CAITLIN DAVIS