Massachusetts’ Governor Deval Patrick has selected Matthew H. Malone as the new state superintendent of education.
Malone has had an interesting past decade.
He is a graduate of the unaccredited Broad Superintendents Academy, class of 2003, which is a worrisome sign as Broadies tend to be lightning rods and alienate the communities they are supposed to serve.
He is currently superintendent in Brockton, Massachusetts, where the town board recently voted 5-2 not to renew his contract. Reportedly, they were annoyed that he never took up residence in the district and had failed to conduct routine criminal checks on employees.
He was superintendent in Swampscott, Massachusetts, where the union passed a no-confidence vote of 138-6 against him. The board quickly responded with a vote of full confidence in Malone.
On the plus side, he opposed the opening of a charter school in 2008 in Brockton on grounds that the charter would cherry-pick students and drain the budget of the public schools.
When the charter proposal was revived in 2012, Malone again led the opposition. If approved, the charter will be run by for-profit SABIS.
If Malone is willing to stem the privatization tide, he will be a good state commissioner. He will be even better if he figures out how to work cooperatively with the state’s teachers and local school boards. I hope he keeps front and center the fact that public education in Massachusetts is a great success story. The hard-working professionals need appreciation, and the public needs to hear it.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“If”, that is like saying if a zebra didn’t have stripes it would be a horse! I would rather think it is more like, if he wasn’t a Broad grad, if he didn’t get a 138-6 vote of no confidence, if he wasn’t fired from his last job, then maybe he would make a decent State superintendent. Good luck Massachusetts!
How can someone with a professional record like that even find employment?
You have a billionaire pay campaign money to the governor, etc. What a world.
Like Cuomo in NY, Patrick has ambitions for higher office and must dare not offend their corporatist overseers. Hiring a product of Broad “product” makes him eligible to receive support from the moneyed elite. It sickens me that Democrats and Republicans are nearly indistinguishable in their positions on education issues.
This guy is a sleeper or in other intelligence services language a mole. Anyone associated with the Broad Academy is bad news and a corporatizer and privatizer. Just look at his past in many issues he is bad for education and does not care. Do you really think he will change colors. Some people are delusional. This is a case of just that. Study Broad and Gates work worldwide in education and then maybe you will understand.
I grew up with the guy. He has great character and will do his best to better our schools!!! I have full confidence in him.
Sorry, but nothing good has come out to the Broad Academy or those that came through TFA. They are all about closing as many schools as possible. Even those showing great progress.