Missouri Interim Education Commissioner Preis Resigns; State Board Names Sireno
Stacey Preis, interim commissioner of Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), announced her resignation effective immediately following the State Board of Education's meeting on Tuesday, October 20. The board named Lisa Sireno, deputy commissioner for learning services, as the new interim commissioner starting Wednesday, October 21.
The board meeting took up revisions to the new A-F school rating framework that Governor Mike Kehoe advanced by executive order in January. The framework assigns every public school, charter school and district a letter grade from a 0-100 score; approved in September, it has drawn strong opposition from district leaders including Columbia Public Schools' superintendent, and the meeting room was packed.
Preis, who became interim commissioner in June, said in a written statement that leading Missouri's complex public education system requires deep knowledge, sound judgment and the respect of the education community; asked whether the backlash over the grading framework prompted her resignation, she said it was "not specifically" the reason. Sireno joined DESE in 2015 and became deputy commissioner in July. The board said it will hire a search firm to help select a permanent commissioner.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：密苏里州议会大厦（Jefferson City）。摄影：Farragutful，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. Photo by Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
