School & District Management

Bush Nominates Simon for Deputy Secretary Position

By Joetta L. Sack — April 18, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A veteran educator and former state superintendent from Arkansas has been tapped for the second most powerful position at the U.S. Department of Education.

BRIC ARCHIVE

President Bush on April 15 nominated Raymond J. Simon to become the deputy secretary of education. Mr. Simon, 60, who currently serves as the assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, would oversee most K-12 education programs if his nomination is confirmed by the Senate.

The former state schools superintendent in Arkansas has a reputation among education groups and advocates for being willing to listen to their views. He is a veteran educator, having begun his career as a high school mathematics teacher in 1966, and worked his way through various administrative jobs in districts in Arkansas.

He was superintendent of the 8,200-student Conway, Ark., district from 1991 through 1997 before becoming the state’s education chief in 1997.

In September 2003, he was plucked from that post by President Bush to come to Washington and help oversee the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. His duties have included smoothing out relations with states and education groups that have been reluctant to support the accountability mandates of the federal law.

Mr. Simon is also credited with helping add more regulatory flexibility in how the 2002 law is enforced, specifically in the areas of teacher-qualification mandates and student-testing requirements.

The appointment is seen as part of Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings’ efforts to streamline the administration of the Education Department. As part of a reorganization plan announced in March, Ms. Spellings plans to have the deputy secretary oversee most K-12 programs while giving responsibilities for vocational and higher education to the undersecretary, the department’s No. 3 post.

Mr. Simon would replace Eugene W. Hickok, the former deputy secretary, who left the department in January.

“Ray is a public servant dedicated to ensuring all children have access to a quality education. He has served as an outstanding assistant secretary, and I look forward to working with him in his new role as deputy secretary,” Ms. Spellings said in a statement regarding the nomination. “Ray will have a critical role on my team as we continue to work closely with states and meet the goals of No Child Left Behind.”

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
How to Leverage Virtual Learning: Preparing Students for the Future
Hear from an expert panel how best to leverage virtual learning in your district to achieve your goals.
Content provided by Class
English-Language Learners Webinar AI and English Learners: What Teachers Need to Know
Explore the role of AI in multilingual education and its potential limitations.
Education Webinar The K-12 Leader: Data and Insights Every Marketer Needs to Know
Which topics are capturing the attention of district and school leaders? Discover how to align your content with the topics your target audience cares about most. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Explainer What Does a School Principal Do? An Explainer
Learn about the principal workforce, what makes principals effective, and how schools can retain the best leaders.
Image of staffing.
Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Running for a School Board Seat? This Is the Most Powerful Endorsement You Can Get
New research shows that this endorsement in school board races is more influential than any other, with virtually no downside.
5 min read
People in privacy booths vote in the midterm election at an early voting polling site at Frank McCourt High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City on Nov. 1, 2022.
People in privacy booths vote in the midterm election at an early voting polling site at Frank McCourt High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City on Nov. 1, 2022.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
School & District Management High Pace of Superintendent Turnover Continues, Data Show
About one in five large districts lost a superintendent last year, researchers found.
2 min read
Image of exit doors.
pavel_balanenko/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Finding the Source of PCB Contamination in Schools Just Got Easier
Researchers say they have found a promising method to determine where in school buildings the PCB contamination is greatest.
7 min read
Image of a brick wall and glass blocks.
iStock/Getty