Members of the Kansas State Board of Education wasted no time in reviving the controversial science education issue this week, but arguably the most important item on the new board’s agenda is the hiring of a new commissioner of education.

Anticipating philosophical changes on the board following the election of several less conservative members, Commissioner Robert Corkins resigned his post in November. The board is scheduled to discuss today the process for hiring a replacement for Corkins.

There is no reason to rush the process. Dale Dennis, a veteran of many years in the education department, is serving as interim commissioner and will steer a steady course until a new commissioner is chosen. What is important is for the board to set – and follow – a fair, professional process for seeking the person who will have a leading role in implementing policy for the state’s K-12 schools.

That was a problem for the previous board. Although it conducted a national search for a replacement for former Commissioner Andy Tompkins, the process broke down when a majority of members rejected the search results and began adding candidates of their own.

First, the board appointed its own search committee but wasn’t satisfied with any of the four candidates that were named as finalists. The board restarted the process by hiring the National Association of State Boards of Education to advertise the job, collect applications and assist with screening. However, some board members thought the NASBE placed too much importance on educational experience in its screening process. The NASBE eventually withdrew from the process, which it said no longer was within “the most fundamental principles of personnel practices.”

The board continued on its own and announced five finalists, including some who probably weren’t among those recommended by NASBE. They concluded the process by hiring Corkins, the only finalist without any experience in education. Among those they rejected was Alexa Posny, who later left the department to become director of the Office for Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education, a post that would seem to confirm her qualifications as an education administrator.

After just more than a year with Corkins at the helm, board members now can start the process anew. The two board members whose districts include parts of Lawrence recently expressed their desire to hire a commissioner with vision and educational experience, someone with a proven track record who would be an advocate for public schools.

The process the board follows finding such a person will be a strong indicator of whether this board will strive for a level of professionalism that often seemed to be lacking in the last two years. There is no more important item on the board’s agenda than to hire a commissioner whose one and only agenda is to provide Kansas youngsters the best possible public education experience. The search to find such a person must be conducted with the same integrity and professionalism that board members hope to find in their eventual choice to lead the department.