The chair of Colorado’s State Board of Education resigned Thursday, saying the board is “dysfunctional” and isn’t working to improve student learning.
In her letter of resignation, Marcia Neal lamented how little the board has accomplished in the last five months. She says it caused months of confusion by saying it would grant waivers to school districts that wanted to opt out of state testing, and then refusing to rescind the motion after the Attorney General ruled it couldn’t act.
With the election of two new members last November, board discussions became tension-filled and decision-making stalled. She says she’s also concerned about the number of high-level staff members leaving the state Department of Education.
Neal leaves her post at the end of July. Her replacement will be named by a vacancy committee established by the Republican Party in the 3rd congressional district, which she represents.
