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Hanna Skandera
Hanna Skandera is a former New Mexico secretary of education. She served in this position from 2010 until her resignation in June 2017.[1][2]
Skandera was not confirmed by the state Senate until February 16, 2015, after holding the title "secretary designate" for over four years.[3]
Biography
Skandera served as Florida's deputy commissioner of education under Governor Jeb Bush (R). She previously served as a senior policy advisor and deputy chief of staff at the United States Department of Education and as undersecretary for education to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). In the private sector, Skandera worked as the CEO of Laying the Foundation, a national teacher training program for teachers of English, mathematics, and science. She also worked as the executive vice president at Academic Partnerships in Dallas, Texas.[4]
Education
- B.A., business, Sonoma State University
- M.A., public policy, Graduate School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University[4]
Political career
New Mexico Secretary of Education (2010-2017)
Skandera served as the acting New Mexico secretary of education, or secretary designate, from December 2010 until her confirmation by the New Mexico State Senate on February 16, 2015. She served as the New Mexico secretary of education from February 2015 until her resignation in June 2017.[4][2]
Senate vote
Skandera faced a contentious confirmation hearing in the New Mexico State Senate between her appointment by Governor Martinez and assuming the role of Secretary in December 2010. Opposition to Skandera's nomination was sufficient to prevent her from being confirmed and officially sworn in as secretary. Instead, she served in the position as the secretary designate.[5] Skandera faced continued opposition from the state Senate, which was controlled by Democrats. “It’s a matter of principle,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, who has opposed Skandera's appointment due to Skandera's inexperience as an educator and classroom teacher. “She does not meet the qualifications by even the farthest reach of how you stretch the constitution,” Sanchez said. “We should follow our constitution. So I don’t think it’s a matter of futility. I think it’s principle that we should stand on.” Skandera, however, received support from Republican leaders in the state legislature.[5]
In 2015, the state Senate once again took up the issue of Skandera's confirmation. During the legislative hearings, a number of teachers testified, criticizing Skandera for not having direct experience as a teacher and for some of the standardized testing and teacher evaluation policies that had been rolled out during Skandera's tenure. Others came to testify on Skandera's behalf, including the Santa Fe Public Schools Board president, Steve Carrillo who said that Skandera was "the governor’s appointee and we need to respect the office ... It’s been four years and I think we need to allow Ms. Skandera to serve another four years.” Ultimately Skandera was confirmed by a vote of 22 to 19. Five Democratic lawmakers voted in favor of her confirmation.[3]
About the office
The New Mexico Secretary of Education is an appointed state executive position in the New Mexico state government. The secretary serves as head of the state Public Education Department. In that role, the secretary is responsible for overseeing New Mexico's education policy and program development, operational management of the department, and the distribution of educational funding.[6]
The secretary of education position was created in 2003, when the state's voters approved Ballot Question 1.[7]
Appointments
2010
Skandera was appointed as New Mexico Secretary of Education by Gov. Susana Martinez (R) in December 2010.[4] She was narrowly confirmed on February 16, 2015.[3]
See also
| New Mexico | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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- New Mexico Secretary of Education
- Superintendent of Schools
- New Mexico school districts
- New Mexico Department of Education
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Mexico Independent, "Martinez taps former Florida official to head education department," December 22, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 U.S. News & World Report, "Ruszkowski Appointed New Mexico Public Education Secretary," August 24, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 KRQE, "Hanna Skandera confirmed as PED Secretary," accessed Sept. 9, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 New Mexico Public Education Department, "Hanna Skandera," accessed February 19, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 [http://watchdog.org/125045/nm-teachers-unions/ WatchDog.org, "NM education boss, despised by teachers unions, to have confirmation hearing,"
- ↑ New Mexico Public Education Department, "NM PED Leadership," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
- ↑ Ballotpedia, accessed Sept. 9, 2015
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by ' |
New Mexico Secretary of Education 2010-2017 |
Succeeded by Christopher Ruszkowski |
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