Bob Corkins, the state’s new, controversial education commissioner, will participate in an online chat this afternoon on the Journal-World’s Web site.

The chat will begin at 1 p.m. today on www.ljworld.com.

• Submit a question early

Readers may submit questions early or during the chat. A transcript will be available during and after the chat.

Corkins was hired by the Kansas State Board of Education in October, despite criticism about his qualifications and some of his positions on state education.

Before taking the post, which carries a $140,000 annual salary, Corkins had been the only staff member of a think tank that provided legislators with research and policy papers, some of them critical of school spending.

He also had no experience in the education field and had actively opposed recent increases in school funding and spoken out against the Kansas Supreme Court for declaring the school finance system unconstitutional and ordering more funding.