Former Florida Chief Named NY State Education Commish

A former Florida district superintendent known for collaborating with the local teachers union was unanimously selected as the new education commissioner for New York State on Tuesday.

The appointment of MaryEllen Elia by the Board of Regents comes at a critical time in state education politics. For one, lawmakers approved controversial changes to New York's teacher evaluation system, at the urging of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Many teachers and parents criticized the changes as unwieldy and for relying too much on student performance on state tests. Another issue awaiting Elia's attention is the frequency and number of standardized tests.

“The search committee was very impressed by MaryEllen’s approach to finding common ground on challenging issues—an approach that helped make Hillsborough County public schools a national model for reform,” said Regents Vice Chancellor Anthony Bottar, who chaired the search committee. 

Elia spent almost 10 years as superintendent in Hillsborough County, a district with more than 200,000 students that includes Tampa. She earned national attention for working with teachers to develop a new evaluation system that included peer mentoring, before the Florida state legislature approved one of its own that put greater weight on student test scores. She was fired from her post, after losing support of school board members.

Members became concerned after the deaths of two children in 2012 with special needs. Frustrated with how she handled the situations, they voted for her removal in January.

"Those situations got a lot of publicity. They were very horrific," said Marlene Sokol, an education reporter at the Tampa Bay Times. "And so there was a lot of dissatisfaction with the way her administration handled it. And particularly whether there was enough disclosure from her."

Elia brushed the episode off on Tuesday, noting that most superintendents only last a few years.

"I'm moving forward now and I'm not really concentrating on the past," she told reporters after the vote. 

Observers told WNYC they thought her experience with teacher evaluations and Common Core standards would serve her well at the helm of New York's education department at this critical time. And her appointment won praise from New York and national teachers unions, partly because of the support she got from their Florida counterparts.

"She promoted the union," said Jean Clements, president of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, and she's very familiar with some of the issues facing New York.

"I think she was concerned about the implementation in New York, just as she was concerned about the implementation in Florida," said Clements. "The implementation in Florida also was heavily flawed and has had a negative impact on us in our district because of how they've botched the rollout of standards and the rollout of assessments on the standards in our state."

The Hillsborough district developed a teacher evaluation system ahead of the rest of the state. Clements said they agreed to cap reliance on student test scores at 40 percent, while the Florida legislature eventually approved 50 percent. The Hillsborough system also included peer mentoring. Clements said fewer than 1 percent of teachers lost their jobs as a result of the evaluations.

Elia said she wanted to support teachers and shift the conversation away from getting rid of them.

"Teachers are successful when their students are successful," she said. "I believe that the teachers union will be partners and collaborators with me to support what happens in New York State."

Elia will take over in July for John King, who left at the end of last year to work for the U.S. Department of Education. Her annual annual salary will be $250,000.

New York City's Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña praised the appointment.

"She has exhibited tremendous leadership with a record of results, particularly in meeting the unique needs of English Language Learners," she said.

Elia was known for investing in magnet schools, which earned her praise from charter school advocates.

"MaryEllen Elia's exceptional record in Florida makes her a strong candidate to lead New York out of its failing schools crisis," said Jeremiah Kittredge of the group Families for Excellent Schools. "With over 50,000 children in Hillsborough County learning outside the district school system, Commissioner Elia has shown that she values the role of high-quality charter schools and parent choice."

Some test scores rose in her former district but graduation rates remained below the statewide average.

Earlier in her career, Elia taught in upstate New York, after earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in Buffalo.