Florida education commissioner resigns

It's been a tough year for Florida's Education Commissioner. For months, he's been putting fire after fire out.

Now, Gerard Robinson is out. He is resigning effective August 31st after just one year on the job.  

He says he's leaving to be closer to his family, who live in Virginia.

But it's been a public relations nightmare for most of the last six  months.

"He came into Florida at a very tumultuous time. Education in Florida is in this almost rebirth, and to take the helm at that time is a very arduous task," said school board member April Griffin.

This year, new tougher standards were in place for the FCAT. It resulted in lower FCAT scores for students and eventually lower school grades.

And then recently, a mix-up of school grades resulted in the state having to re-issue grades for 213 schools statewide.

But Robinson has said publicly that he's not being forced out. Now the question is, who wants to take his place?

Griffin says it should be someone willing to work with state leaders, but more importantly, teachers and parents.

"What I'd like to see in that position is someone who really believes in partnerships with their school districts. Someone who is, as Edward R. Murrow put it, the loyal opposition who speaks out when they need to speak out and chooses their battles wisely, and thinks about the kids and the teachers in the classroom as their priority," she said.

Jean Clements with the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, hopes state leaders will take input on what the job description should look like.

"We need a commissioner that cares more about supporting public schools, rather than taking money from them, to go to private school vouchers or to enrich private testing companies," she said.

The Florida Board of Education has named Pam Stewart as interim commissioner.

She is currently the state's K-12 department leader, overseeing student achievement and curriculum.

The Board is also hiring a search firm to begin looking for a new commissioner.