New state commissioner nominee attracts universal, bipartisan support
The 2½-hour session in the Executive Council chambers Tuesday drew a parade of supporters for a candidate that vowed to be an apolitical consensus builder, looking to create pathways for students to excel.
'Listening first, leading with humility and always keeping students at the center,' Davis said of her priorities in prepared remarks.
The outpouring virtually guarantees that the council, meeting in Pittsburg on Wednesday, will confirm Davis to succeed two-term Commissioner Frank Edelblut of Wilton, whom Ayotte chose not to renominate when his current stint ran out at the end of March.
Several speakers across the ideological spectrum said Davis would bring stability and more tranquility to the public-school landscape that endured many divisive debates about Edelblut's reform agenda such as universal Education Freedom Accounts, the Learn Everywhere program and a total rewrite of the state's education standards.
'We would like to see a commissioner of education who both leads and supports our local public schools strongly and feel the nominee will be in that direction,' said Deb Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest union that was often at odds with Edelblut's approach.
'Cooperation and collegiality'
Rep. Rick Ladd, R-Haverhill, the House Education chairman, got the task of pushing many of Edelblut's policies through the State House maze, but he too signaled it was time for a change.
'We ought to figure out a way to clone her 10 times over; she is really needed,' Ladd said. "She is not political as we have seen here in the past several years.'
Former Education Board Chairman Fred Bramante worked with Edelblut on the standards and said Davis will usher in an era of 'cooperation and collegiality.'
'I am expecting there will be a different tone in education circles across the state with Caitlin as commissioner,' Bramante said.
Micaela Demeter serves on the Dover School Board and the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project and spoke only for herself.
'I am really excited for a fresh start,' Demeter said. 'There is a lot of level of trust rebuilding that needs to happen based on (the) outgoing commissioner.'
Once overlooked himself, Edelblut backed her
In 2017, new Gov. Chris Sununu nominated Edelblut, whom he had narrowly beaten in the GOP gubernatorial primary four months earlier.
Tom Raffio, a former state board chair, said 57 pages of opposition showed a lack of confidence in the choice.
One prominent sticking point was Edelblut's lack of experience in public schooling as an educator, administrator or even as a parent, having opted to home-school his seven children.
The council endorsed Edelblut, 3-2, along partisan lines with Democratic Councilors Andru Volinsky of Concord and Chris Pappas of Manchester in opposition.
While stunned at not getting the chance to serve four more years, Edelblut endorsed the pick of Davis this time.
'Caitlin is a respected peer within the state's education field and a pivotal member of our leadership team. We are proud to have this nomination from within our own pool of talented professionals,' Edelblut said in June on the day she was nominated.
In Edelblut's final week, the state Education Department notched a win when the Trump administration released $6 million in critical federal grants it had previously frozen, part of billions of dollars unfrozen nationwide.
Prosecutors from blue states had sued the White House over the decision, but Davis said the latest development showed that wasn't necessary.
'We continue to review all the legal remedies that we might have. We did not think legal action was the best step at that time,' Davis said.
Several said Davis was uniquely qualified to deal with the changing federal grant landscape under a president who has favored abolishing the U.S. Department of Education.
'She is probably the best prepared candidate to lead the Department of Education ever, perhaps the best to lead any state agency,' said Labor Commissioner Ken Merrifield, who got to know Davis when she attended Bishop Brady High School in Concord with his children.
Every program to come under the microscope
If confirmed, Davis said no existing program will be immune from review.
'He calls himself an innovator,' Davis said of Edelblut at one point while praising the incumbent for leaving public schools in better shape upon his departure.
'I would like to spend a lot of time looking at some of those programs, understanding some of the ones that are working, some of the ones that are not working — ensuring all of the support from the Department of Education is supporting programs that are high-quality, needed by students, and are a good use of our taxpayer dollars,' Davis said.
After a private career in auditing, Davis came to the Department of Education in 2010 as an internal auditor.
During her tenure, Davis has overseen the department's Bureau of Assessment and Accountability, Bureau of Education Statistics, Bureau of Educational Opportunities, Bureau of School Finance and Bureau of Federal Compliance.
Michael Bessette, assistant superintendent of the Kearsarge Regional School District, said the fact Davis never taught in a classroom will be no impediment.
"Caitlin Davis has an exceptional capacity to listen; that is the key," Bessette added.
klandrigan@unionleader.com
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