The following editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times:
Effective oversight of the state’s public school system requires extensive knowledge of schools and education. But campaigns for the Superintendent of Public Instruction rarely wade into such deep waters.
And as a paramount duty of state government, ensuring children’s equitable access to an excellent education should be a priority for every governor, not just — as current SPI Chris Reykdal recently referred to his office — “some other elected official down the street.”
That’s why it’s time to scrap Washington’s century-old tradition of electing the state’s education chief and amend the state constitution to give future governors the authority to appoint qualified experts to this vital position. Senate Joint Resolution 8212 would have begun the process, but it failed to advance before this session’s policy cutoff. Lawmakers should study the idea carefully and pick it up again next session. The proposal would require two-thirds vote of both houses and voter approval.
SJR 8212 would make the state’s education chief an appointed, not elected, position. Governors would nominate candidates, subject to Senate confirmation. The change, which Reykdal champions, would professionalize the job and integrate education into the governor’s executive cabinet. It could be the first step toward streamlining authority and accountability, as then-Gov. Christine Gregoire tried to do a decade ago.
Gregoire’s proposal was to consolidate the State Board of Education, the Department of Early Learning and nearly 10 other departments, boards and committees into a single cabinet-level department of education. Unlike SJR 8212, her plan would not have eliminated the elected SPI. A constitutional amendment would eliminate redundancy from the top.
The change would depoliticize an office that should be above divisive campaign tactics designed to anger and mobilize voters, and it would imbue the job with real authority. It could be an important first step toward aligning state education policy and programs to eliminate inequities, fully support local school districts and give Washington’s students the best possible tools for lifelong success.
Gregoire’s plan faced backlash from critics who worried about consolidation of power, but the state’s complex matrix of education-related boards and committees is not a planned system of checks and balances. Rather, it has grown by accretion over decades. Instead of a chain of command, it looks like a spider’s web.
A more aligned and streamlined framework would give state education policymakers a clear view and sufficient authority to address inequities in educational opportunities.
The governor’s cabinet already includes the appointed directors of state agencies responsible for everything from agriculture to transportation to veterans affairs. The state’s education chief should have a seat at the table, too.
