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Bennet possible Obama cabinet pick

By Nancy Mitchell, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 9, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Superintendent Michael Bennet considered for education chief.

Superintendent Michael Bennet considered for education chief.

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The Newsweek columnist who broke the story of Barack Obama's presidential bid is betting on Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet as the next U.S. secretary of education.

"I have my money on Bennet," Jonathan Alter writes in the soon-to-be-printed Dec. 15 issue.

The others on Alter's short list are Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan and Paul Vallas, head of New Orleans' public schools.

The usually accessible Bennet is being coy about the column. He declined to comment directly.

"He told me he imagined his mom would probably renew her Newsweek subscription," said DPS spokesman Alex Sanchez.

DPS board members have not been officially notified of any consideration, said Vice President Michelle Moss. But Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said he isn't surprised.

"He's the best superintendent of schools in America, so I think it's obvious that he should be someone being considered," he said. "If there is someone who has a better set of skills and experience to run a large critical agency like that, I don't know who they are."

The debate about Obama's potential education chief is picking up as his other Cabinet choices are being named. Friday, The Washington Post editorial staff and New York Times columnist David Brooks argued for a reformer, someone focused on results and supportive of merit pay and charter schools.

But to run his education transition team, Obama picked someone from the more traditional camp, allied with teachers' unions. Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond also is in contention for the secretary's post.

Bennet's strength may be his ability to straddle both camps, local education activists said Monday.

"I see him as a pragmatist, not an ideologue," said Alexander Ooms, a founding board member of West Denver Preparatory Charter School. "You're not going to make everybody happy, but I don't think Bennet will make anybody pound the table and cry. Whereas I think Linda Darling- Hammond would."

Van Schoales, urban education officer for the Denver-based Piton Foundation, said Bennet is one of the few U.S. superintendents able to implement painful changes - such as school closures - and keep his job with an elected school board.

"It's important to have someone who can be articulate about what needs to happen," Schoales said, "but do it in a way that doesn't so alienate teachers and community folks."

Comments

  • December 9, 2008

    9:27 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    PI writes:

    Where are all you crazies that bashed the teachers union during negotiations recently and said that everything bennet did was for the kids of Denver. Told you so. He was and always has been about self.

  • December 9, 2008

    10:18 a.m.

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    HolyCats writes:

    As with all inexplicable behavior, it is, as the write above states, all about self reward and upward mobility. Bennet’s approach to school collocation, teacher’s union bargaining and school closure are not in DPS’ best interest. They are about his personal needs regarding power consolidation, executive privilege, and the unending need for recognition. His behavior while at DPS has lacked transparency, accountability, and vision beyond privatizing the public schools. It is little surprise that the quotes of support are from two people deeply committed to the charter school cause, Van Schoales, who helped create school within a school program at Manual High School, which was later closed because of poor academic performance and begun anew, and Alexander Ooms, whose experience includes “over 12 years of advisory and transactional expertise across a wide range of industries, including both buy-side and sell-side M&A assignments and private placements” as well as being the President of the Board for West Denver Preparatory Academy, a successful charter being moved into Kunsmiller, despite this school’s own new reform measures. (When a school is undergoing a major cultural and teaching philosophy changes, it is a “best practice” to collocate another school within its walls …if you hope that the first school will fail.) Really, these guys who have directly benefited from Bennet’s tenure at DPS have nice things to say? What about a teacher in the District? …a student? …a parent? …anyone who might have to work with him and who is not under his direct supervision?

    What can be said is this: Bennet entered DPS with much promise and fanfare. He has accomplished little. He will hopefully soon be gone. Unfortunately, in going, he is likely to repeat this pattern of success on a national scale, as past performance is indicative of future performance. Most importantly, though, he will feel really good about himself because he moved up the chain. The question is, can he take his friends with him? I’m sure Van Schoales would love Washington with its politics, bureaucracy, and strong history of performance. Alexander Ooms may not like it as much, but he has history in the District and I’m sure Bennet will be looking for a front man.

  • December 9, 2008

    10:21 a.m.

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    kirbysfriend22 writes:

    Wow, really? I'd be picking a Super. from an actual successful school district.

  • December 9, 2008

    10:43 a.m.

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    GunnyBob writes:

    So a report out today states that 61% of DPS schools are rated "low" and DPS Superintendent Bennet is in charge, and he might be our next Sec. of Education.

    Genius. Sheer genius.

    Generally speaking, is rewarding miserable performance ever a good idea?

  • December 9, 2008

    11:04 a.m.

    JSeifert writes:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

  • December 9, 2008

    11:13 a.m.

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    FlyfishDude52 writes:

    Bennett - Blagojevich what's the difference?

  • December 9, 2008

    11:22 a.m.

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    PI writes:

    seifert, be honest....you don't have any kids and if you did they would go to private schools where there are no unions, just at-will employees with no rights and no input on their professional lives. Even with that private school education, your kids would go to college and wouldn't speak with you anymore beacuse they finally realized you are a right wing dou*** bag. Obama has made some excellent choices for his cabinet, but this one would be terrible. Pick a side and stop meandering in the center-right that is attacking everyone including itself. Sorry that you lost so bad last november, change is a comin.

  • December 9, 2008

    11:52 a.m.

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    Scott writes:

    GunnyBob, Slick Willy did the same thing when he appointed "The Runt", Pena, to be Sec Trans because "The Runt" built DIA. That instance was a lawyer/politician (The Runt) cosying up to another lawyer/politician (Slick).

    Let's face it. All the politicians appoint incompetent fools to different positions. Some of them are appointed to critical positions, e.g. McNamara and Rumsfeld to Sec Def, and some are appointed to non-critical, i.e. "The Runt" to Sec Trans and (maybe) Bennet to Sec Ed.

    Scott

  • December 9, 2008

    12:27 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

    Bennett. Doing for the nation what he's done for Denver's public schools.

    That was sarcasm, by the way.

  • December 9, 2008

    12:56 p.m.

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    bert writes:

    Perhaps you'd like to look at actual facts before stating that Bennet has accomplished nothing:
    http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news...
    "State test results released Tuesday show Denver Public Schools outpaced the state and every other metro-area district in gains made in reading, writing and math in nearly every grade in 2008.
    The urban district's jump in reading - nearly 4 percentage points across grades three through 10 - matches its record jump in that subject in 2006."
    By the way, Bennet was at the helm when the record gains were made in 2006.

  • December 9, 2008

    1:11 p.m.

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    LockNLoad writes:

    PI:

    The teacher's union is the major reason our school systems are so bad. They have consistantly hindered real progress to improve the eduction system.

    We can also blame the demise of the airline industry and the auto industry on the corrupt, self-serving unions.

    Judging from your blog, it sounds like you are one of those union advocates. Watch the jobs leave Colorado in droves if the unions take a foothold. They are represive, totally counterproductive, and only serve the wishes of the union bosses and the liberal politicians in their pockets. Case in point: how's the job market in the heavily unionized northeast and midwest states? How's the job market in the non-union South?

    Enough said.

  • December 9, 2008

    1:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LockNLoad writes:

    Scott:

    Slick Willy also had Richard Riley as his head of Education. Riley was former governor of South Carolina, which was ranked 49th out of 50 in public eduction.

    Smooth move, Willy!

  • December 9, 2008

    8:23 p.m.

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    realtitygirl writes:

    If Bennett has been described by his home town folks as one who pretends to love kids and pretends to be fair to teachers but thinks only of himself, then he should stay where he is now working - in Denver, Col. Teachers need fair employers for all of their hard work. Unions have to work hardest in school districts with low achieving students, no parental support, and administrators who dance to the music of "I don't care about anyone except me." Please do not get a "Secretary of State" who is interested in firing people who are most vulnerable in a school system just because the power is there. Can't the President-Elect choose a "Secretary of State" who cares about teachers, diversity (low income students), high achievers, and learning (no more of the No Child Left Behind Politics of harassing every teacher in a building)?

  • December 9, 2008

    10:53 p.m.

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    joyalew writes:

    I would have real concerns about Bennet as Secretary of Education. While Bennet definitely has done some good things, his administration's lack of pre-planning in program implementation and failure to support programs in schools bodes ill for any kind of meaningful reform in education. We have enough unfunded,unsupported mandates to deal with in education without having a leader who rolls out (or allows the roll-out of) new technology, curriculum, and school policy without any advance training of teachers or evident forethought about what support effective implementation might require.Bennet talks a good game, but he has failed to support educators or students in any meaningful way. If Obama is seeking politics as usual, Bennet is an ideal choice. If he is truly looking for change that will work, I suggest he look elsewhere...probably outside of school administration as it exists today.

  • December 10, 2008

    12:05 p.m.

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    mcgraw08 writes:

    First of all Bennett is not an educator he is a lawyer and a politician working with a school board that have no experience in education. Instead of helping schools they are closing the schools where they are needed the most in the poor areas and have created charter school heaven. I don't get what they are thinking of having this guy who has not respect for teachers and students who feels that anyone with or without the testing degree can do what we do and deal with on a daily basis. He is running the district like a business, but yet they still hire up top and most of those people don't know what they are doing. Bennett is like most of those CEOs who ran the businesses into the ground, and never looked back.

  • December 10, 2008

    12:28 p.m.

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    tazz909 writes:

    Interesting that folks on here are bashing Bennet for having charters in DPS and saying that's an example of him not caring about parents or students? Charter schools give parents a choice in their children's education. Not all kids do well in a traditional public school. And if that's the case shouldn't a parent be able to look into alternative choices? And teachers in charter schools have the freedom to be innovative in their curriculum. How is that not treating teachers right? In this day and age we have hundreds of choices when we want a hamburger or a laundromat. But give parents choices in public education and people are up in arms? To me it doesn't make any sense. What is more important than our children's education? I applaud Bennet for being one of the few superintendents in Colorado with the vision and foresight to see that parents want choices...and charter schools provide those choices. Instead of fighting charters..he is welcoming them into DPS because that's what parents in Denver want. Many of these charter schools are the best performing schools in the district. Bennet should be lauded for this. Apparently the Obama administration is smart enough to recognize his value. That's a great sign.

  • December 10, 2008

    1:41 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mcgraw08 writes:

    First of all not all charters work, many of them have huge classrooms. Many parents don't want charters but that is the only choice that they have when the "public" schools like Bruce Randolph, Manual, MLK you have to apply to go there. But what do you expect from a man who has only attended private schools his whole life. They have taken the schools and the teachers away from the areas that need them the most. Rishel, the teachers worked hard to improve their school, but they didn't care so let's shut it down. The teachers don't work they don't care about their students. True there are some bad teachers, but the majority of them work their tails off and are their for their students. When they say the classrooms are empty, they don't acknowledge that they are part of the problem, the K-8, the 6-12 that is why the schools are low in attendance. Plus, the parents are fed up with all of the double talk by the district and the board. Why should they send their students to DPS if they want to always create charters and close the schools.

  • December 10, 2008

    7:30 p.m.

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    janniek writes:

    Michael Bennet appears beholden to the business of education (textbook and test publishers, large economical classrooms, the appearance of success [bribing higher income families into the fold through elitist programs]). I wouldn't be at all surprised if both he and Obama in one way or another took a ton of money from some of the powerhouse publishers who've made huge profits off the Bush regime. I like Obama... campaigned for him. And as much as I don't want to admit it, I knew this was coming. No matter what any of them say, the democrats are in bed with corporations... easy to hide in the education ones, selling stupid liberals who aren't willing to do their homework or give up the elitist programs that serve their hypocritical interests.

  • December 10, 2008

    8:01 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    patronusa writes:

    Michael Bennett is a businessman; he has no experience in education! He has run Denver Public Schools with a business model. He only has an eye toward the fiscal bottom line. He is an elitist that does not take input from parents or teachers and certainly does not understand the real needs of students. I am sincerely disappointed in Obama's consideration of this man. How can my vote for Obama result in the nationwide diminishment of education that I have experienced in Denver? Bennett’s theory of success is closing and "redesigning" schools. Is it working? After Garden Place was redesigned it fell to be the lowest ranking elementary school in the district. Bennett inspires nothing but demoralization and disrespect in the true worker bee of DPS. Bennett wants to hire young, probationary, inexperienced teachers for less; that are obviously ineffective. These teachers rarely last more than a year. Is this the kind stability that our children deserve? If our negotiations this past Fall would have gone Bennett's way Denver Teachers would not have a contract or a union. Bennett tried to "invest" our pension like Bush tried to “invest” Social Security. The only good thing about Bennett possibly going to DC, would be that he would no longer be in Denver!

  • December 11, 2008

    12:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    FDeserino writes:

    Please stop referring to the Denver Classroom Teachers Association as a union, as this title is both misleading to the public at large, and continues the fallacy that Colorado is a pro-union state when it comes to its teachers. There are huge differences between these two terms union and Association. For example, a real teacher’s union can conduct a closed shop where all workers have to belong to the organization in order to work in a school district, the DCTA does not have that kind of power, nor does this occur anywhere in this state let alone in DPS. The only reason why DPS continues to negotiate with the DCTA is because both the board and the superintendent recognize the Association as the representative arm of the majority of the teacher-members who work within this district.

    For those who argue that the Association has “consistently hindered real progress to improve the education system” in Denver I would say that this too shows a lack of knowledge as to what it takes to be a teacher. First off, I am neither a supporter nor a member of the DCTA so please don’t paint me with that brush. Second, yes, as a teacher I have fought against this supposed “real progress” espoused as the way forward within this district. If said progress means the elimination of electives in subjects like social studies that have been proven to enrich our students; if progress means that subjects like the arts get sacrificed on the alter of CSAP; if progress means that some teachers count more than others because they teach subjects relevant to a standardized test; and if progress means that students are made to take CSAP regardless of whether or not they can understand English, then as an educator it is my obligation to fight a system that places test scores before its students.

    Let me be clear, I am not an Association supporter I am a student supporter, and as such there is a clear difference between those that see DPS from the classroom and those that have no clue. So when there is a need to play the blame game I would hope that those wanting to discuss educational issues would in the future do their homework.

    Enough said?

  • December 11, 2008

    8:52 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    IsaacBickerstaff writes:

    Hey, Bert, did you read the news today, oh boy? You know the one about the lucky man who made the grade... Check this one out. It'll show you the success of Bennet's Chinese Restaurant...

    http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news...