School & District Management

President of the Education Commission of the States Plans to Step Down

By David J. Hoff — July 14, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The president of the Education Commission of the States will leave her post early next year, and the chairwoman of the group said she would lead an effort to review and renew the 41-year-old group’s mission while searching for a successor.

BRIC ARCHIVE

Piedad F. Robertson told ECS commissioners in a closed-door business meeting on July 13 that she would resign effective Feb. 1 at the end of the second year of her contract, Charles Merritt, the vice president of external relations for the ECS, said in an interview.

Ms. Robertson plans to leave because the extensive travel involved in the job has taken a “noticeable toll” on her personally, Merritt said, and “now is the time for her to reprioritize her professional life.”

Ms. Robertson declined a request for an interview.

What Next?

In recent months, several members of the ECS staff, including its No. 2 executive, resigned and expressed concerns over Ms. Robertson’s leadership, warning that the group faced significant financial problems. (“ECS Resignations Raise Questions of Fiscal Health,” May 10, 2006.)

While the Denver-based clearinghouse on state education policy searches for Ms. Robertson’s replacement, it will also convene a group of its members and users to define “what is the essence of the mission” for the ECS, said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who started her two-year term as the group’s chairwoman at the end of its annual forum here July 11-14.

Ms. Sebelius said a recent audit concluded that the group’s finances “are in pretty good shape,” but noted that 14 states aren’t paying dues and that income from grants and contracts is declining. These are the three largest sources of revenue for the organization.

The Democratic governor said the panel she will form in the next month will “engage the foundation community” in a conversation about what steps ECS needs to take to “play a role in the dialogue” of educational policy issues, Ms. Sebelius said.

“This can be an opportunity to rehone and redefine and set a course for the future,” she said in an interview.

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
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Literacy Success: How Districts Are Closing Reading Gaps Fast
67% of 4th graders read below grade level. Learn how high-dosage virtual tutoring is closing the reading gap in schools across the country.
Content provided by Ignite Reading
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
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
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
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by Boys Town

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

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
School & District Management Whitepaper
Future-Driven Leadership: Five Goals for Dynamic School Leaders in 2024
This guide offers practical strategies for district leaders to foster innovation, empower staff, support wellness, amplify student voices...
Content provided by BookNook
School & District Management What the Research Says Four Ways to Stop Teacher Turnover From Hamstringing School Improvement
Staffing instability can unravel the social fabric of schools, experts say, unless leaders work to keep connections strong.
6 min read
Woman of color exiting out of a door.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management Spooked by Halloween, Some Schools Ban Costumes—But Not Without Pushback
Schools are tweaking Halloween traditions to make them more inclusive to all students.
4 min read
A group of elementary school kids sitting on a curb dressed in their Halloween costumes.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Schools Take a $3 Billion Hit From the Culture Wars. Here’s How It Breaks Down
Culturally divisive conflicts in schools have led to increased legal and security costs, as well as staff time spent on the fallout.
4 min read
Illustration of a businessman with his hands on his head while he watches dollars being sucked down into a dark hole.
DigitalVision Vectors