This week the Executive Council unanimously approved Governor Ayotte’s nomination to Commissioner of Education in New Hampshire. Caitlin Davis may not be a name that most people are familiar with. Unlike Frank Edelblut who will be vacating the office, Davis has a different vision for her role as Commissioner.
Edelblut ran for Governor in New Hampshire prior to becoming the Commissioner of Education. Appointed by former Governor Chris Sununu, Edelblut was no stranger to controversy. Davis told the Councilors that she doesn’t expect that politics would play a role in her decisions. Davis said she plans to be supportive of public education, which is different from the label Edelblut wore during his tenure.
Edelblut’s reputation among his critics came from the perception that he was focused on school choice programs, and not supportive of public schools. A school choice program might help some children who need an alternative to their public school, but what about the kids who continue to attend their local public school?
Republicans can get so focused on school choice options that they fail to implement reforms, and changes that can improve public education. My sincere hope is that Davis sees how the public schools were neglected, and advocates for actual reforms that improve literacy for New Hampshire students. It’s not always about the money, it’s about reforms that elevate the quality of education our kids in public schools receive.
This could be done by improving the academic standards and tests. This is exactly what Governor DeSantis did in Florida during his tenure. Instead of settling for the dumbed-down Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, he put forward a committee to rewrite, and improve their academic standards. He supports school choice, but he prioritized improving public schools too.
This was Governor Sununu’s biggest public education failure. He did nothing to improve public education, and instead, pushed the school choice agenda.
I don’t believe any Democrat elected as Governor would work to improve the academics, so families in New Hampshire have been left with this disappointment by both sides. Who has the courage to improve public education in New Hampshire?
Davis said:
“While New Hampshire has expanded its educational options in recent years, it is important to recognize that 90% of our students attend public schools. These schools remain the backbone of our education system.”
Davis is exactly right.
Republicans in the executive branch should not be ignoring the public schools while supporting education options. The best thing this administration can do would be to improve the quality of the academics in our schools. Governor Ayotte has the power to do just that. Hopefully this will be the priority of Davis and Ayotte.
I see no reason that Davis should not be the Commissioner based on her experience, and what she presented to the Executive Council. I wish her nothing but the best in her new position.
Banfield: NH’s New Commissioner of Education: Caitlin Davis
