Illinois Governor Flexes New Muscle Over Education

Armed with new power under state law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois has moved quickly to put his stamp on school policy by overhauling the state school board and taking an active role in hiring at the state education agency.

Supporters see those moves as both logical and necessary. The Democratic governor—who publicly blasted the education agency earlier this year as a slow-moving, wasteful bureaucracy—wanted to fill both entities with individuals who are both competent and committed to his ideas for reform.

“They were seeking out people they knew, in terms of their service and their skill sets,” said Becky Watts, a spokeswoman for the state education agency. “He wants to be accountable on education and for future governors of...