Who鈥檚 leading Puerto Rico鈥檚 education department? The answers have changed very quickly in the past week. And their impact on the major changes underway for the island鈥檚 schools is unclear.
Last Tuesday, former Secretary of Education , after stating late in 2018 that she planned to be on the job for years to come. Gov. Ricardo Rossell贸 announced the same day that Eleuterio 脕lamo, who had been running department鈥檚 San Juan regional office, was taking over as interim secretary, which Keleher had previously confirmed. Keleher, meanwhile, initially said she was moving into the role of an adviser at the department to help guide 脕lamo鈥檚 work.
Subsequently, Keleher announced that she had , amid news that the legislature was conducting an inquiry into her leadership of the department.
Then on Monday of this week, the governor pulled 脕lamo鈥檚 name from consideration before the U.S. territory鈥檚 Senate. Later that day, the Senate instead confirmed Eligio Hern谩ndez P茅rez as the new interim education secretary鈥擯茅rez was previously a deputy secretary at the department. However, it鈥檚 unclear at this point how long P茅rez will stay on as interim secretary, and whether Rossell贸 will again push to appoint 脕lamo, or someone else, to the secretary鈥檚 position on a permanent basis.
Rossell贸 publicized a meeting he had with P茅rez in the latter鈥檚 new role on Tuesday, stating that the two were working on plans under the education reform law Puerto Rico鈥檚 legislature approved last year that included provisions allowing charter schools and vouchers on the island:
Trazando el seguimiento a varias iniciativas medulares de la Reforma Educativa con el secretario interino de Educaci贸n, Eligio Hern谩ndez y el equipo de .
鈥� Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello)
Keleher expressed confidence last week that the major changes she and the governor helped put in motion, spurred in large part by Hurricane Maria鈥檚 devastating impact on Puerto Rico in 2017, would continue. But it remains to be seen whether the number and nature of charter schools in Puerto Rico, for example, shifts dramatically with Keleher out of the leadership picture, particularly if 脕lamo does not reemerge as a nominee for education secretary. Only two charter schools are due to open next year, but discussions were underway for a few dozen more to begin operations before Keleher departed.
The Asociaci贸n de Maestros de Puerto Rico, the teachers鈥� union, was a high-profile opponent of Keleher on controversial issues involving school choice as well as the closure of more than 250 public schools on the island last summer. Last week, the union (which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers) said it hoped 脕lamo鈥檚 move to take over the department would be a 鈥渞eset.鈥� The union added that it had had a 鈥減rofessional and respectful鈥� relationship with him during his time at the department.
It鈥檚 also unclear how the recent volatility at the top of the school system will impact the department鈥檚 relationships with the U.S. Department of Education and members of Congress, as well as nonprofit groups and philanthropic foundations that have gotten involved in the island鈥檚 educational future.
鈥淚t鈥檚 never good when there are three different people within the same week who are supposed to be the secretary of education. Nobody鈥檚 going to argue that鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� AFT President Randi Weingarten said Tuesday. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 good that Julia is not there.鈥�
Weingarten also said she was pleasantly surprised that to replace Keleher, Rossell贸 had selected two people with lengthy experience on the island. (She said that Aida D铆az, the Puerto Rican union鈥檚 president, has had a 鈥減ositive working relationship鈥� with P茅rez in the past.) Weingarten said she鈥檚 still troubled by how the roll-out of charter schools, potentially at the expense of traditional public schools, has played out on the island so far.
鈥淏oth Mr. Alamo and [Mr. P茅rez] seem to have real, long-term relationships with the educators on the island. And therefore it seems like the governor is looking for a reset and is looking change the dynamics that have gone on in the last two years of disruption, disruption, disruption that Julia has done,鈥� she said.
Puerto Rico鈥檚 public schools educate more than 300,000 students, although that figure fluctuates over the course of the year and has dropped from the roughly 350,000 students enrolled in the system before Hurricane Maria. And the school system still faces major challenges more than 18 months after the storm; repairs to the island鈥檚 schools alone will cost $11 billion, Keleher said last year.
It鈥檚 also important to remember that Rossell贸 is up for reelection next year in Puerto Rico.
Photo: 69传媒 arrive at Escuela Jesus T. Pi帽ero in Cidra, Puerto Rico, on August 13, 2018, for the first day of school in the island-wide district. (Swikar Patel/Education Week)