The newly appointed Illinois State Board of Education pushed aside state school Supt. Robert Schiller Monday, replacing him with a new interim chief handpicked by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office.
The move gives Blagojevich almost total control over the board– authority he has sought for more than a year.
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Last week, the governor ousted seven of nine board members and replaced them with his own appointees. The board oversees an $8 billion budget and sets broad educational policies for the state’s public elementary and high schools.
During its first official meeting, the reconstituted board quickly voted 7-2 to place Schiller on a paid leave of absence and authorized paying him up to $160,000 to buy out his contract.
Schiller, whose contract is up in July 2005, had requested a two-week leave to deal with personal matters, including the devastation of his Florida home, which was destroyed by Hurricane Frances.
Schiller, whose ouster had been rumored for months, could not be reached for comment. Monday morning, he faxed a letter to the board asking for the leave and informing members that he may offer his resignation when he returns.
The board then voted 7-2 to hire Randy Dunn, an education professor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, as a temporary replacement for Schiller. He will be paid $115,000 in salary, plus an undetermined amount in benefits.
Dean Clark and Joyce Karon, the only board members not appointed by Blagojevich, voted against Dunn’s appointment and against buying out Schiller’s contract. Clark complained that he was handed Dunn’s resume just before the vote and could not make an informed decision.
Jesse Ruiz, the newly appointed board chairman, said the governor’s staff interviewed and vetted the candidates to replace Schiller, and he felt comfortable that they had done a good job.
“I understand that, but we are the ones responsible for employing this person, not the governor’s office,” Clark remarked.
Dunn will serve as the interim superintendent while Blagojevich’s office launches a nationwide search for a permanent successor. Dunn said he is not a candidate for the permanent job.
Earlier this year, Blagojevich railed against the state board, calling it a “Soviet-style bureaucracy,” and asked the legislature to strip the board’s authority and shift it to his office. State lawmakers declined but agreed to give the governor power to replace all the board members and the authority to “recommend” a state schools chief.
Under the old system, the governor appointed the board members, but they hired the superintendent.
The new setup gives the governor almost total control over the state agency. During a news conference Monday afternoon, Dunn made it clear that he answers to the governor.
“I am a member of the governor’s leadership team, and I didn’t come on board to take a position that is at odds with the governor’s stated positions,” he said.
Dunn said that having the superintendent and the governor on the same page is not only a welcome change in Illinois but is necessary to pass major policy initiatives.
“If you want to move something forward, you cannot have a situation where you have groups going in different directions,” he said.
Dunn began his career as a 4th-grade teacher in Gibson City in central Illinois. He later served as a school principal and a district superintendent. He is on leave from Southern Illinois University, where he is chairman of the Department of Education Administration and Higher Education.