Ohio Deserves a New, Transparent Search Process for the
State Superintendent
June 11, 2022 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBUS — Today, Honesty for Ohio Education released the following statement requesting the State Board of Education begin a new search process to hire the next superintendent of public instruction.
“In the wake of Stephen Dackin’s sudden resignation as Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction, we request that the State Board of Education begin a new, transparent hiring process. We are deeply concerned over efforts by certain members of the State Board to skip what should be a deliberate, democratic process and simply hire a candidate from the Board’s previous short list of finalists,” says Cynthia Peeples, founding director of Honesty for Ohio Education.
“Approval of this resolution, on the Board’s agenda for its meeting on June 13 and 14, would remove Ohioans from what should be a thorough, professional search and adds concerning decision-making practices to an already controversial, murky selection process that led to Dackin’s resignation less than a month after he was hired.
“Ohio students, families, educators, and the communities we all live in and serve deserve an honest, transparent hiring process that allows them to submit feedback to inform the Board’s hiring decisions. Elected and appointed members representing diverse communities across the state are duty-bound to listen to Ohioans about who should lead the Department of Education.
“Given the challenges facing education, and the hopes students and their families put in the hands of education leaders, Ohio needs a superintendent who embraces the state’s student, family, and community-centered approach to education clearly defined in the Each Child Our Future strategic plan and ODE’s Whole Child Framework, and prioritizes an honest education where facts, hard truths, and diverse perspectives are infused into learning and curriculum.”
“In the wake of Stephen Dackin’s sudden resignation as Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction, we request that the State Board of Education begin a new, transparent hiring process. We are deeply concerned over efforts by certain members of the State Board to skip what should be a deliberate, democratic process and simply hire a candidate from the Board’s previous short list of finalists,” says Cynthia Peeples, founding director of Honesty for Ohio Education.
“Approval of this resolution, on the Board’s agenda for its meeting on June 13 and 14, would remove Ohioans from what should be a thorough, professional search and adds concerning decision-making practices to an already controversial, murky selection process that led to Dackin’s resignation less than a month after he was hired.
“Ohio students, families, educators, and the communities we all live in and serve deserve an honest, transparent hiring process that allows them to submit feedback to inform the Board’s hiring decisions. Elected and appointed members representing diverse communities across the state are duty-bound to listen to Ohioans about who should lead the Department of Education.
“Given the challenges facing education, and the hopes students and their families put in the hands of education leaders, Ohio needs a superintendent who embraces the state’s student, family, and community-centered approach to education clearly defined in the Each Child Our Future strategic plan and ODE’s Whole Child Framework, and prioritizes an honest education where facts, hard truths, and diverse perspectives are infused into learning and curriculum.”
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Honesty for Ohio Education is a nonpartisan, statewide coalition that champions honest education, affirmation of identities, cultures, and experiences, and local control in education. The coalition represents more than 30 state and local organizations and hundreds of students, families, and educators across the state.