Commissioner’s hiring plan hits snag

As Corkins settles into new role, State Board of Education may shelve request for consultant

Newly hired State Education Commissioner Bob Corkins may not get to hire a $15,000 conservative consultant today to help him transition to his new job.

“I’m getting my direction from the chairman on that,” Corkins said Monday.

“I doubt that it will be put on the agenda,” said Steve Abrams, chairman of the State Board of Education.

Why? “No background material to the board soon enough,” said Abrams, a conservative Republican from Arkansas City.

Abrams said it may come up at a later meeting. “I think it’s appropriate to discuss it,” he said.

On Friday, Corkins had requested the board allow him to contract Harden Educational Services LLC for up to $15,000 for six months “to coordinate the transitional team.”

Bob Corkins, left, the new state education commissioner, tours Kansas University's School of Education with members of the State Board of Education, which is holding its October meeting in Lawrence. Seated at right is Jana Hare, project leader with KU's Advanced Learning Technologies in Education Consortium (ALTEC).

The consultant is Daniel Harden, an education professor at Washburn University whose Web site, www.washburn.edu/cas/education/dharden, declares “Traditional Education in the Year of Our Lord 2005” and provides links to numerous conservative think tanks. Harden also had been one of the finalists for the education commissioner post.

Corkins, of Lawrence, was hired last week to become education commissioner on a 6-4 vote by conservatives on the board, despite the fact that he has no professional education background and has spent the past few years fighting against funding increases for public schools as the sole employee of two conservative think tanks. His hiring and payment of $140,000 per year are expected to be formally ratified today during the board’s meeting.

The board, which usually meets in Topeka, is meeting in Lawrence this week as part of an annual rotation to visit various areas of the state.

Mike Neal, assistant dean of Kansas University's School of Education, right, gives a tour of the building to members of the State Board of Education. Board members with Neal on Monday were Sue Gamble, third from left, Janet Waugh, fourth from left, and Carol Rupe, next to Neal.

On Monday, eight board members, Corkins and other staff visited Kansas University’s School of Education, where they were briefed by numerous professors and administrators on cutting-edge programs and technologies being used at KU to train teachers and help students.

“It’s important for the board to understand that the university provides a huge resource for the education of children in this state,” said board member Bill Wagnon, a Democrat from Topeka whose district includes Lawrence.

Abrams said he was particularly interested in the briefing from Assistant Dean Mike Neal on the Center for Psychoeducational Services, which focuses on connecting with students who may be having trouble learning.

“The technology they are using now is just phenomenal,” Abrams said.

Board member Connie Morris, a former school teacher, was also impressed by the tour. “It’s wonderful,” she said. “The energy, the commitment and the passion for learning.”