Posny, Passed Over Twice, Becomes New State Education Commissioner

By Scott Rothschild, Journal-World, Lawrence, Kan.

May 9–TOPEKA — Alexa Posny, who was passed over by the State Board of Education when it was controlled by conservatives, was Wednesday selected by the new moderate-controlled board as Kansas education commissioner.

The selection of Posny caps another reversal of actions taken by the former board.

Posny, currently serving as the director of the Office of Special Education for the U.S. Department of Education, will assume her new duties July 1. Before taking the federal post, she was Posny was deputy commissioner of education in Kansas.

Her salary as education commissioner will be $165,000 per year.

"I am pleased to be back in Kansas and I look forward to working with board members, administrators, teachers and others involved in the education of our children," Posny said.

Posny was picked on a 7-1vote.

Board Chairman Bill Wagnon, a Democrat from Topeka, said Posny was the best qualified candidate out of an impressive field of applicants.

Board member John Bacon, a Republican from Olathe, voted against Posny. He said he favored another candidate, but declined to say who. He said, however, that he looked forward to working with Posny.

Posny was passed over twice during the last commissioner search, when she was the deputy commissioner. She was a finalist when the board scrapped its list and started over, then a finalist again when the former board selected Bob Corkins to be education commissioner in 2005. Corkins had no previous experience in education.

After Corkins was hired, Posny left to take her current job with the federal education department.

Corkins resigned last year after moderates won back control of the board.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Journal-World, Lawrence, Kan.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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