Tony Bennett selected as new Florida education commissioner

State Board of Education taps outgoing Indiana school leader

Tony Bennett, who lost his job running Indiana schools in an election last month, will become Florida's new education commissioner.

The State Board of Education unanimously voted today to hire Bennett to oversee Florida's public schools and colleges.

Although his entire professional career has been in Indiana, board members said he has been active in the same national efforts as Florida, working to adopt new Common Core academic standards and new tests to measure whether students have learned them.

"I think his ability to be up to speed quickly will be very important for the state of Florida," said board member John Padget.

During his tenure as Indiana's school chief, Bennett, 52, implemented what many call Florida-style reforms, pushing to grade schools A to F, to expand charter schools and voucher programs and to intervene in struggling schools.

"Tony has a great record of achievement in Indiana, and I am confident he will be a tireless advocate for Florida's students," said Gov. Rick Scott in a statement.

Bennett, who was in Tampa, where the board was meeting, told members after his selection: "I think we have a great opportunity to capture Florida's moment."

State Board members interviewed Bennett and two other finalists Tuesday. During his interview, Bennett said, "Florida has the opportunity to lead the nation, and I would look forward to taking the challenge."

When asked about faults, he described himself as a "very passionate, focused person who many times looks at the end results as the only thing that matters" and sometimes loses sight of the need for personal relationships.

Bennett was a high-school biology teacher and basketball and track coach before becoming an administrator. He took over the top Indiana schools job in 2009 and helped enact what he called some of the most "far-reaching reforms" in the nation.

But he lost his re-election bid this year to a teacher-union leader who charged he had taken that state in "the wrong direction" by pushing more standardized testing and revamped teacher evaluations.

The Florida Education Association quickly criticized Bennett's appointment, with the statewide teachers union saying it was "disappointed and disheartened" by his selection.

"Bennett proved to be divisive in his tenure in the same position in Indiana and was voted out of office last month in the conservative state," said Andy Ford, the union's president, in a statement. "He is a champion of the testing mania, unchecked expansion of charter schools and voucher programs ...."

He is well-respected in the education reform movement, however, winning the "America's Education Reform Idol" award for his state in 2011.

Bennett plans to start work in Tallahassee on Jan. 14, officials said.