From The Raleigh News & Observer: After only six months as North Carolina schools CEO, William Harrison says he will retire from the job of running the education agency. His announcement comes days after elected schools Superintendent June Atkinson won a lawsuit restoring her authority to run the Department of Public Instruction, the agency that oversees testing, curriculum and policy for the state's 115 local districts. Harrison's decision to step aside is a setback for Gov. Beverly Perdue, who had made him her point man on education.
EARLIER...from The Raleigh News & Observer: A judge's ruling was intended to settle a long-running debate about who is in charge of running North Carolina's public schools, but may instead set the stage for even more players to enter the fray. In the meantime, the ruling allows June Atkinson to reclaim the authority she thought she had when voters elected her the state's superintendent of public instruction in 2004 and again in 2008. And Gov. Beverly Perdue, who tried to consolidate education authority under her office, will have to share that power for now. The ruling was in response to a suit brought by Atkinson, a Democrat, after Perdue and the State Board of Education stripped her of her powers in January and appointed William Harrison to run the Department of Public Instruction and chair the board.
