Susan McKenzie has declined the post as Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed her to the post at the end of February. He made it clear on Wednesday that she wouldn’t accept the position.
The style is used in the form of a sentence, McKenzie announced that she would continue to work as director of DEED’s Division of Innovation and Education Excellence.
“Due in personal considerations, I’ve had to make the difficult decision of declining the opportunity to be commissioner,” the woman said.
McKenzie has not responded to requests to comment.
The State Board of Education will seek an additional commissioner and then send a candidate to Dunleavy to get his approval. A new Commissioner will succeed Heidi Teshner, who has been acting as temporary commissioner from July. The commissioner before him, Michael Johnson, resigned in June.
The decision of McKenzie comes at a time when lawmakers in the state examine the possibility of increasing school funding and efforts to increase teacher retention , and also requiring parents to be more involved in sex education.
