Time for even more rumors about the next Texas Education Commissioner. “Speculation rises about next Texas education commissioner”, Shirley Jinkins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 6, 2012. The latest short list:
- Rob Eissler, recently Texas State Representative for District 15 (The Woodlands) and chair of the Public Education committee, although he lost his primary.
- Florence Shapiro, recently Texas State Senator for District 8 (Plano) and chair of the Education committee, but she is retiring. “Florence Shapiro to retire after long career in Texas Senate”, Gromer Jeffers Jr. & Theodore Kim, Dallas Morning News, September 19, 2011.
- Kent Grusendorf, former Texas State Representative for Arlington and currently executive director for Texans for Real Efficiency and Equity in Education (TREE), a plaintiff in the latest round of school finance litigation. “Charter school group wants to be part of school finance lawsuit”, Kate Alexander, Austin American-Statesman, February 24, 2012.
- Michael Williams, former chair of the Railroad Commission, who missed the cutoff for the runoff primary in congressional district 25. “Roger Williams appears headed for runoff in District 25 congressional race”, Anna M. Tinsley & Tim Madigan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 29, 2012.
Compared to Robert Scott, would any of these folks have a different approach to issues like school finance, standardized testing, or charter schools? Hard to say.