Texas ‘Agitator’ in Line for Ed. Dept. Post

By Erik W. Robelen and Michelle R. Davis

A generous Texas donor to Republican candidates who has a history of involvement in education and long-standing ties to President Bush is expected to be named to a senior Department of Education position.

Several Washington insiders who asked not to be named said last week that Thomas W. Luce III, who founded the group Just for the Kids, would likely soon be nominated by the president as the department’s assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development. That job was created this year as part of a reorganization by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. Among the job’s responsibilities will be oversight of the department’s annual budget proposal.

The White House and the Education...