Key chosen for seat on council’s board

Arkansas Education Secretary Johnny Key has been appointed to the board of directors for the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The council’s board president, Molly Spearman, who is the superintendent of schools in South Carolina, appointed Key to fill the seat vacated by former Virginia Superintendent of Public Education James Lane.

The board of directors manages the overall business affairs of the council and is the governing body of the organization. The board is made up of the president, the president-elect, the past president, and six directors elected by members.

Key, who has been Arkansas’ chief education officer since his 2015 appointment by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, said he is honored to represent Arkansas by serving on the national board.

“The collaboration, insight and support I have received over the years from my CCSSO counterparts in other states has been invaluable, especially as we navigate these highly uncharted times in education,” Key said.

“I look forward to providing a unique perspective on the board, as well as learning, growing, and partnering with my colleagues. Our collective goal is to provide the best education opportunities for all students, and by coming together to shape education on a national level, we will set our students up for success on the local level,” he said.

Carissa Moffat Miller, chief executive officer of the organization, said Key’s years of experience and “particularly his long-time focus on literacy and the science of reading” will be assets to the board.

The Council of Chief State School Officers is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who lead departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the Bureau of Indian Education, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions.