Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s choice for New Hampshire’s next education commissioner indicated she’d take a different approach than outgoing Commissioner Frank Edelblut, whose embrace of divisive political issues often made him a lightning rod.
During her confirmation hearing Thursday, Caitlin Davis distinguished herself from Edelblut in a number of ways.
She told executive councilors, who are expected to vote on her nomination Wednesday, that politics would play no role in her decisions. She said her 15 years with the state Department of Education is a contrast to what she called Edelblut’s “outside perspective.” Edelblut had never worked in a state agency prior to being named commissioner nine years ago, had no background in education policy, and homeschooled his children.
And, where Edelblut pursued alternatives to public schools, Davis said she would fully support public education.
“While New Hampshire has expanded its educational options in recent years, it is important to recognize that 90% of our students attend public schools,” Davis said. “These schools remain the backbone of our education system.”
Councilors asked Davis how she’d approach the debate over funding public schools and the state’s voucher-style school choice program that is now available to all families, regardless of income.
Davis said she’d implement legislative decisions and laws but not advocate for a particular viewpoint. That’s a sharp difference from Edelblut, who proposed that he be allowed to remove books from school libraries he deemed offensive and exert more control over curriculum, among other controversial stances.
“While education policy may be shaped with divisive political debate, the role of commissioner is to carry out that policy with fairness, professionalism and a commitment to the law,” Davis said.
Ayotte announced in June that she would not reappoint Edelblut to a third term. Davis’s nomination has garnered widespread support from across the state’s political spectrum, teachers unions, and school choice advocates. No one spoke against her at Thursday’s hearing.
Republican Councilor Joe Kenney recalled a different experience during Edelblut’s confirmation hearing in 2017, when then-Councilor Andru Volinsky listed 10 reasons to vote against Edelblut.
“I can assure you there’s probably a Top 10 list out there in the audience today . . . (of) reasons to support Caitlin Davis,” Kenney said. “So I compliment you on getting kind of a cross prospective appeal for your nomination.”
Davis did not specify any specific changes she would make as commissioner, but she said she intends to evaluate the many programs Edelblut put in place. Those include allowing students to earn credits outside the classroom and an online AI program for students and educators.
“I would like to spend a lot of time looking at some of those programs and understanding some of the ones that are working, some of the ones that are not working,” Davis said. “(And) ensuring that all of the support from the Department of Education is supporting programs that are high quality, that are needed by students, and that are good use of taxpayer dollars.”