Secretary Jenner Unanimously Elected as State Board of Education Chair for Fourth Consecutive Year

"Coming into this role, Governor Holcomb encouraged me to listen first and build the relationships necessary to move the needle for students,” said Secretary Jenner. “As we have witnessed over the past three years, we can accomplish so much more when we work together. As we begin another year, I look forward to continuing to work alongside Governor Holcomb, members of the board, the Indiana General Assembly, educators, as well as parents and families to find learner-centered, future-focused solutions to address what truly matters for students.”

In addition to chairing SBOE, Dr. Katie Jenner also leads the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) as the state’s first appointed Secretary of Education. Over the past three years, Indiana has deployed a number of tactical solutions under Dr. Jenner’s leadership, including securing and implementing Indiana’s largest-ever financial investment in literacy focused on the science of reading, launching a comprehensive teacher supply/demand marketplace that tracks vacancies, matches teachers with open positions and helps recruit new teachers, as well as developing Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed (Indiana GPS), a new performance dashboard which re-envisions how the state strategically measures school performance and student learning.

The motion to reappoint Dr. Jenner was put forth by Scott Bess, SBOE member and founder and special projects director of Purdue Polytechnic High Schools.

“The alignment that exists today between SBOE and IDOE under the leadership of Secretary Jenner has been invaluable for schools and ultimately, students,” said Bess. “Together, in a short time, we have been able to lead on a number of key initiatives that positively accelerate transformation of K-12 education in Indiana for many years to come.” 

Members of the board also unanimously elected Kathleen Mote as vice chair and William Durham as secretary. 

“I have served on the board for over a decade and the current level of collaboration amongst board members, IDOE and stakeholders is inspiring,” said B.J. Watts, board member and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Executive Director of Opportunities through Partnerships that Transform and Inspire (OptIN). “It’s really an exciting time to be a part of education in Indiana, and our work is just getting started.”

In addition to electing leadership, board members also approved David Buyze as executive director. Buyze also serves as IDOE’s director of policy and special programs.

The next SBOE meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 7.