Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland called the state’s schools superintendent “one of our nation’s premier education leaders” as she announced her resignation about two months after he criticized her as being neither a leader, an advocate, nor a good manger.
Susan Tave Zelman announced May 28 that she will resign, after nine years in the job, when a new superintendent starts. She will remain in an advisory role until December.
In his State of the State address in February, Mr. Strickland, a Democrat, had threatened to strip Ms. Zelman’s authority in a move to give his office more control over schools by creating a new education chief’s position accountable to him instead of the state board of education.
But the Republican-controlled legislature has not moved to authorize his idea. And the state board, which is searching for a replacement for Ms. Zelman with the governor’s input, still opposes the changes.
