We Believe

One of the words often found in news stories about the appointment of Alexa Posny as state education commissioner is “credibility.”

Mark Tallman, lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said Posny already is well-known among the state’s 296 school districts and knows the Kansas system. As former deputy commissioner, she implemented several programs to meet the federal goals of No Child Left Behind.

“That will give her more credibility in continuing to push ahead,” Tallman said.

What was implied in many such positive comments was “compared with her predecessor.”

It’s no secret the reason Posny finally got the commissioner’s job she originally sought in 2005 is that the political makeup of the Kansas State Board of Education shifted in November.

Her predecessor – the man who beat her out of the job in 2005 – was Bob Corkins, whose appointment was controversial from the day it was announced.

He was appointed at a time when six of the 10 members of the state board held conservative views on issues such as the teaching of evolution, sex education and school vouchers to subsidize families for sending kids to private schools.

Corkins had never held any job in education, whereas his predecessors had worked their way up through the education system and were usually former school superintendents.

Corkins appeared to have been selected by the state board for his conservative views. He ran two conservative think tanks that advocated for conservative positions on many education issues.

Then in November, Kansas voters chose some new board members and swung the political balance 6-4 toward the moderate to liberal side. Corkins resigned in November, rather than waiting to be fired when the new state board took office in January.

But saying Posny is just an alternative to Corkins doesn’t give her the credit she deserves. She has paid her dues for entrance into the upper echelon of education management.

Posny came to the state department of education after working as director of special education for the Shawnee Mission School District. As deputy state commissioner she was responsible for special education, compensatory education programs and school accreditation. She left that job last year to work for the U.S. Department of Education.

Still, saying she will restore “credibility” to Kansas education isn’t exactly the right word.

Credibility is often defined as “believability.”

Belief isn’t what was lacking during the past 18 months in Kansas. We had too much belief. What was lacking was an emphasis on teaching children facts and how to find facts when they are curious about something.

So, let’s enjoy the comfort that comes from having a pro take the reins of overseeing one of the most important things that government does – preparing our kids to be useful and productive citizens.

(c) 2007 Topeka Capital Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.