According to the Times Union in Albany, NY, President Obama is expected to nominate John King to be the official successor to Arne Duncan as the US Secretary of Education. Had Obama done this back in October when Duncan resigned, many felt King would not have been confirmed by the Republican majority US Senate.
What changed? The Every Student Succeeds Act. Deals were made, things were thrown in at the last minute, and votes changed. Such is the way of politics in Washington D.C. It happens in every state. What does this mean to those who were horrified at the mention of John King and Secretary of Education? It really depends on how much power King is allowed to have. The ESSA strictly forbids the Secretary of Education from forcing Common Core down state throats as well as issuing waivers to states that are essentially “comply or die” memos. On the flip side, a lot of what was written in the legislation merely brings controversial aspects of the waivers into law. The law is a matter of interpretation in some cases, and in the next six months we will see mass attempts at trying to figure it all out. ESSA, on the surface, gives states more control. But which states will exert their own individual power, and which will play along to get along?
Most Presidents, when newly elected, tend to pick their own Cabinet members. The key to King’s reign will be if Hillary Clinton manages to become President. I could easily picture a scenario where King is allowed to stay on as Secretary under a President Clinton. If Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump win, no way! As for Delaware, it looks like King and Governor Markell have already bonded so we can look forward to more capitulation from Delaware and the US Department of Education…
The Season Of Myths 