AN ACT CONCERNING THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE APPOINTMENT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 10-2 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2007):

(a) The Governor shall select one of the members of the State Board of Education to serve as chairperson, who shall hold a degree in the field of education from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Said board shall appoint such committees as may be convenient or necessary in the transaction of its business. The Commissioner of Education shall serve as secretary to the board and said commissioner may appoint an assistant secretary, provided neither of them shall be members of the board. The commissioner shall record all acts of the board and certify the same to all concerned and shall be the custodian of its records and papers; shall prepare such routine business for presentation to said board as may be necessary or advisable; shall compile and publish, under the direction of said board, all regulations and acts which may be required and shall perform such duties as the board prescribes. Said board may appoint, and may prescribe the duties of, such subordinates, agents and employees as it finds necessary in the conduct of its business.

Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 10-3a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2007):

(a) There shall be a Department of Education which shall serve as the administrative arm of the State Board of Education. The department shall be under the direction of the Commissioner of Education, [who shall be appointed] whose appointment shall be recommended to the Governor by the State Board of Education for a term of four years to be coterminous with the term of the Governor. Such appointment shall be in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5 to 4-8, inclusive, as amended by this act. The Commissioner of Education shall be the administrative officer of the department and shall administer, coordinate and supervise the activities of the department in accordance with the policies established by the board.

Sec. 3. Section 4-5 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2007):

As used in sections 4-6, 4-7 and 4-8, the term "department head" means Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, Commissioner of Administrative Services, Commissioner of Revenue Services, Banking Commissioner, Commissioner of Children and Families, Commissioner of Consumer Protection, Commissioner of Correction, Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, Commissioner of Education, State Board of Education, Commissioner of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Commissioner of Environmental Protection, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Public Health, Insurance Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Liquor Control Commission, Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Commissioner of Public Safety, Commissioner of Social Services, Commissioner of Mental Retardation, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, Commissioner of Transportation, Commissioner of Public Works, Commissioner of Veterans' Affairs, Commissioner of Health Care Access, Chief Information Officer, the chairperson of the Public Utilities Control Authority, the executive director of the Board of Education and Services for the Blind, the executive director of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism and the Ombudsman for Property Rights.

Statement of Purpose:

To require the chairperson of the State Board of Education to hold a degree in education, and to provide that the appointment of the Commissioner of Education go through the legislative executive nominations process.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]