Kevin Huffman, Tennessee’s State Commissioner of Education, taught for two years as a member of Teach for America. Then he was the TFA “communications director.” That is, the PR guy.
Somehow he got picked to be head of education in a whole despite his minimal experience and his lack of any administrative experience.
He certainly lacks any political skills. He treats the duly elected Metro Nashville school board as if they are peons and he is their master. He refuses to meet with them. Where did he get these arrogance.
The state is about to adopt radical ALEC legislation to snuff out local control so the big charter corporations can set up shop without the trouble of asking for permission from a local school board. They can just go to Huffman and all his buddies will get their charters and make big bucks.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
That is Michelle Rhee’s former husband who has custody of their children. What else do you expect. They both went to TFA, met there and got married. Now they are both destroyers of public education. This has always been the plan they just got divorced. That does not interrupt business.
Mr. Rhee—err… Kevin Huffman was no better when he was V.P. for TEACH FOR AMERICA, and was embroiled in a financial scandal… covered by CBS News here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/teach-for-america-gets-schooled/
Always something, eh? These people are wielding too much influence.
I just do not understand how these folks get their power except by shear force of personality, because it’s not due to experience or vision. It chaps my hide!
They get their power, despite their cruelty and lack of classroom experience, by ably serving the interests of their funders.
Mike F. is exactly right. The billionaire boys club target elections for enormous financing and wherever they win power they pass radical right laws and rules designed by ALEC. Big money gives these operatives with little education experience instant access to authority to do the corporate agenda. This big money also guarantees that each operative can go as far out on a limb as possible without fear of career suicide or legal accountability. Six-figure jobs somewhere are guaranteed to those whose local campaigns happen to fail. For the Rhees, Huffmans, Kopps, and so on, this is a war with little personal risk; they cannot lose and will not suffer any harm, so great is the immunity granted by billionaire financing. IN contrast, advocates defending public education and public goods, and activists against corporate seizure of our vast wealth, do risk career suicide and legal entanglement when they push for social justice, which helps explain why so many teachers and others feel too vulnerable to stand up to the blitzkrieg.
It’s not personal. It’s all for the kids, right?
Yes, of course the lawfully elected school board should roll over for Huffman. After all, the voters don’t really know what they want/need/deserve. And, apparently, they can’t make a responsible choice, right. After all, didn’t they elect the governor who chose this chump? The difference is, they can fix that mistake at the polls. This plan will be irrevocable once enacted. No do-overs.
So New Mexico is not the only state with a completely unqualified head of education with a Jeb Bush agenda!
The Nashville School Board, then, should go to Huffman. Arm in arm and with photo journalists at their side. Not meeting with elected school board members is absurd.
NSB should tell Huffman to go to hell and that they will do nothing until he meets them in public and discuss’ the issue while the cameras are rolling!
Help us in Tennessee, the Huffman/Rhee stronghold. Our TEA worked in cooperative partnership with our former Governor and achieved great things and then the privateers captured the state Republican majority and passed punishing laws with no regard for the impact on kids, families and educators. A battle won here will resonate nationally.