Andy Smarick, Rich Kaplan Names Floated for NJ Commish

UpdateRich Kaplan has notified edReformer that he has not been in any conversations with the Governor’s office about taking on the role of Education Commissioner.
A source close to the Governor has told edReformer that the following names have been floated to replace Bret Schundler, deposed former New Jersey State Education Commissioner: Andy Smarick, an Adjunct Fellow at the Thomas Fordham Institute and current Deputy Comissioner; Dave Heste, a former commissioner ;and Rich Kaplan, current superintendent in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Kaplan was also on a short list the first time around.
Rochelle Hendricks is acting Commissioner, while the Governor and his staffers determine who will fill the spot.
In the news, Schundler says that he is not to blame for his firing over the video evidence that shows he apparently did nothing to correct a clerical error on the budget portion of New Jersey’s RttT application. Schundler’s ouster over a RttT application fiasco has left a fiduciary vacumm in its wake, considering that the state missed out on US$400 million over a five point question.
See also updates on the RttT firing of Schundler at EducationWeek.

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