Three finalists are vying for state education commissioner. Here's where they stand

Boston Globe

18-04-2025

The finalists - Jack Elsey, founder and CEO of the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative, Lily Laux, former deputy commissioner of school programs for the Texas Education Agency, and Pedro Martinez, outgoing CEO of Chicago Public Schools - were each asked the same set of questions over nearly five hours at Mass. Bay Community College.
And each gave similar answers,
saying they would listen to local stakeholders, articulate a clear vision, and promote evidence-based reading instruction.
But each also emphasized their unique backgrounds and experiences.
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Each drew on personal backstories to show their empathy for all students: Laux as the daughter of a low income single mom who grew up in rural Western Massachusetts; Martinez as an immigrant from Mexico whose parents didn't graduate high school; Elsey as a first generation college grad and recipient of a Pell Grant, funding awarded to low income students.
Martinez touted his work as superintendent of multiple large districts: Washoe County, Nevada; San Antonio; and Chicago. He also noted the similarities between the commissioner's limited authority over districts and his experience in Chicago Public Schools, where individual school leaders are picked at the campus levels.
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Elsey, who previously as as a teacher in New York and administrator in Detroit and Chicago, drew mostly on his experience working alongside local leaders in Michigan to build a new teacher training program, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of workforce development.
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Laux, also a former teacher, emphasized her state-level experience in Texas.
She particularly noted working on overhauling literacy instruction, which is also a priority in Massachusetts.
The 11-member board
is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a recommendation. At least 8 votes, or a 2/3 majority, are needed for approval. Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler will then have the final say on who will be in charge of K-12 schools in Massachusetts.
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The public has until 5 p.m. Monday to respond to an
Here's how the candidates responded to questions about a few key issues:
Educational inequities
The candidates were asked how they would address stagnating achievement in Massachusetts and yawning disparities by race, poverty, language learner status, and disability status, taking into account local control.
Laux said the state can make the job of superintendents easier with data analysis, sharing evidence on what works, and targeted support.
'The lingering effects of the pandemic have created the widest achievement gaps we've ever seen, particularly around socioeconomic lines,' she said. 'I would absolutely expect the commissioner to be judged on how we're addressing closing those gaps.'
Martinez repeatedly emphasized that schools are 'fighting poverty,' which is closely correlated with proficiency levels.
'I see the role of our system as creating social and economic mobility, and nothing else,' he said. 'That is our job.'
Elsey emphasized learning from states and districts that are successful and being clear about goals.
'States that have aligned strategy and policy with funding, and with outcomes do better,' Elsey said. 'We have to be clear about what the goals are."
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Management and engagement
Martinez leaned on his experience as the chief executive of large systems — Chicago has about as third as many students as Massachusetts — and said it's important to build trust, but have 'non-negotiable' goals.
'The success that I've gotten in Nevada, in Texas, or in Chicago, the common element was always we met people where they were at‚" he said. 'It's about working with them and helping them understand.'
Elsey described lessons learned from superintendents across Michigan
about their staffing challenges. His approach is to build relationships , involve everyone in strategic planning, and be clear about values and goals.
'We have to help them see what they may not see, and they have to help us see what we may not see,' he said.
Laux highlighted her arrival as an outsider in Texas, where she had to approach it with humility and 'listen at scale and act quickly.'
'Lasting change doesn't come from charisma or directives,' Laux said. 'It comes from creating trust, building the right systems, and making sure the people closest to students have what they need.'
Rural districts
The candidates were asked how they would support rural districts facing enrollment declines and limited resources.
Elsey again drew on his experience working with rural districts to create a new teacher workforce program in Michigan.
'We often ask them to solve problems on their own that are bigger than their scale,' Elsey said. 'There needed to be larger, systemic thinking at the regional and state level to support that, because it's not uniquely their challenge.'
Laux noted that Texas has some of the country's largest and smallest districts, and leaders had to tailor initiatives to meet all districts needs.
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Martinez talked about his experience in Nevada, where county school systems include rural communities. He said the state has to support regional collaborations, leverage community colleges, and ensure every student has access to opportunities.
'How do we align the systems of the state to better serve them?' he asked.
Literacy
Laux praised ongoing work in Massachusetts to revamp reading instruction and drew repeatedly on her experience in Texas, which implemented a requirement in 2019 that every K-3 teacher be trained in 'science of reading' instruction — which most districts opposed, she said.
'This required a lot, a lot, a lot of conversation,' she said. 'We did get there, we went through this training, and the feedback was certainly that the timeline was aggressive, but that the material itself was excellent, and the teachers really appreciated the training.'
Martinez noted that Chicago's reading proficiency rates dropped dramatically after the pandemic, particularly for young kids. The district designed a new curriculum that most schools adopted and it is now seeing 'the largest reading gains in the history of the district,' although from low levels.
Elsey also emphasized the importance of properly training teachers in strong literacy instruction.
'There are evidence-based literacy practices that we know work and schools ought to be using them,' he said.
Christopher Huffaker can be reached at