Education Commissioner Eric Smith to Step Down in June

Submitted by Kevin Derby on March 21, 2011 - 11:49am

Florida Commissioner of Education Eric Smith, who has held that position since 2007, announced on Monday that he would step down from his post in June.

This past weekend, I informed the members of the State Board of Education of my intention to resign as Floridas commissioner of education effective June 10, thelast day of this school year, noted Smith in a release. It has been my privilege to serve as commissioner during a period in which Florida demonstrated bold national leadership in the field of education. The time has come, however, to allow our newly elected governor to have input through the State Board of Education on the type of leader to pursue his goals for education.

Smith pointed to what he considered highlights of his tenure, including the states better standings in reports and ranking from Education Week and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Smith also pointed to higher high school graduation rates, more children enrolled in Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK), winning Race to the Top federal funds, better AP scores and more students in Dual Enrollment programs.

The foundations are in place and the expectations are clear that Florida will be No. 1 in education!The future is promising and very exciting for our students, insisted Smith. It has been an honor to serve both the State Board of Education as well as the members of the Florida Legislature. These individuals have made incredible efforts to build upon the bold education reforms established by Governor Jeb Bush, allowing us to progress both quickly and successfully. It also has been a pleasure to work with the talented individuals in the Department of Education who continue to demonstrate commitment to serving students, parents and teachers of our wonderful state.

I thank the state of Florida for the privilege and honor to have served as its education commissioner, concluded Smith. There always will be a special place in my familys heart for this blessed state and its students.

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