WASHINGTON -- President Bush nominated Illinois school chief John 'Ted' Sanders for the No. 2 position at the Education Department Friday.
Bush also selected Nancy Kennedy of Bethesda, Md., for the post of assistant secretary of education for legislation. Kennedy has served as special assistant for legislative affairs in the Reagan White House since 1983.
As the department's undersecretary, Sanders, 47, of Littlefield, Texas, will advise Education Secretary Lauro Cavazos on major program and management issues. He would oversee the daily operations of 4,500 employees, taking over the task left by Linus Wright, who joined the agency in 1987 after serving as the superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District.
Wright, who was asked by fellow Texan Cavazos to remain on the job, stepped aside Jan. 20 to join Paul Ray Inc., a Dallas job recruitment firm.
'(Sanders) has my strongest endorsement as President Bush's outstanding nominee for the post ...' Cavazos said in a statement. 'Ted's strong and effective leadership will be an invaluable asset to the department, as we continue our work in the education presidency of George Bush.'
Sanders, who has served as Illinois' third superintendent for the last four years, is credited with bringing 'Year of Education' reform rhetoric into reality in Illinois, first by making it the primary focus of the General Assembly and then by becoming chief spokesman for a coalition of state education organizations pushing for school improvement.
In Springfield, Ill., Sanders said, 'I am extremely honored that the president has demonstrated his confidence in my ability to help direct this nation's education agenda.'
Sanders began his career as a teacher in Mountain Home, Idaho, and later became math and science department chairman at a Navajo Indian secondary school in Crownpoint, N.M. He moved on to be math department chairman at Cleveland Junior High School in Albuquerque, N.M., and subsequently held several positions in New Mexico's state Education Department.
Before coming to Illinois, Sanders served six years as Nevada's education superintendent in Carson City, Nev.
He earned a doctorate in education from the University of Nevada at Reno and served as Nevada's public instruction superintendent from 1979 until 1985. He is president of the Council of Chief State School Officers and a member of the board of directors for the Educational Testing Service.
