TOPEKA ? A divided State Board of Education today selected conservative activist Bob Corkins to become education commissioner, the top position in the Kansas public school system.

The vote was 6-4 with conservatives supporting Corkins.

He heads two conservative think tanks, has no experience in education and has lobbied against increased funding for public schools. Moderate board members voted against Corkins. John Bacon, Olathe, who represents the Lawrence area on the board, voted in favor of Corkins.

Corkins, of Lawrence, will now be offered the job and salary will be subject to negotiations. The last commissioner earned about $144,000 per year.

The other candidates were:

Milt Dougherty, superintendent of the Little River school district; Daniel Harden, an education professor at Washburn University; Alexa Posny, the current deputy education commissioner; and Kurt Steinhaus, deputy cabinet secretary for education in New Mexico.

Corkins would fill the position left vacant by Andy Tompkins, who resigned earlier this year and took a position as an associate professor at Kansas University.

Voting for Corkins were Steve Abrams of Arkansas City, Kenneth Willard of Hutchinson, Iris Van Meter of Thayer, Connie Morris of St. Francis and Kathy Martin of Clay Center. All are Republicans.

Voting against Corkins were Democrats Bill Wagnon of Topeka and Janet Waugh of Kansas City. Republicans Sue Gamble of Shawnee and Carol Rupe of Wichita also voted against Corkins.

The selection process was surrounded with controversy.

Moderates, who are in the minority on the board, alleged the conservative majority had rigged the hiring process to select someone who will pursue a politically conservative agenda.

During the application process, conservative board members had increased the weight given to applicants for civic, political and business experience.

After that decision, the National Association of State Boards of Education, which had been hired to help with the search, dropped out of the process.

Several conservative board members criticized NASBE of not doing a good job.

NASBE executive director Benda Lilenthal Welburn responded, saying the reason the organization dropped out was because board members had taken applications of candidates “out of a controlled environment.”

She said that “violates the most fundamental principles of personnel practices.”

In June, the board tried to hire a replacement for Tompkins and had narrowed the search to two people, including Posny, but failed to reach agreement. It then decided to reopen the application process.