The Michigan State Board Of Education Has Unanimously Chosen Robert E. Schiller, A Deputy Superintendent Of Instruction In Delaware, To Be The state’s New Superintendent Of Public Instruction.
The position was left vacant when Donald L. Bemis resigned in June under pressure from Republicans on the board.
W. Frank Blount, the president of the New American Schools Development Corporation, is resigning next month to become chief executive officer of an Australian telecommunications corporation.
Mr. Blount, who had been on loan from the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, led the new-schools corporation since its inception last summer.
Officials said the search for a successor has already begun.
Judith E. Lanier, the dean of the college of education at Michigan State University, has resigned to work full time for the Michigan Partnership for New Education.
Ms. Lanier said recently that she expects to begin her new job some time in the next six mouths.
The Michigan Partnership, which links business, education, and government, hopes to fund 25 “professional-development schools” to prepare new teachers.
Superintendent of Education Wilmer S. Cody of Louisiana will step down from his post on Jan. 12, the day his contract expires.
Mr. Cody, who announced his resignation last month, has been superintendent since 1988. He previously was the superintendent of schools in Montgomery County, Md.
The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is expected to discuss a successor for Mr. Cody at its Jan. 14 meeting.
It is unclear, however, if the board can legally name a permanent successor because board elections were postponed from last fall. A state law prevents the board from hiring superintendents who will serve for a longer period than members of the state board.
