Meet Bill...

...Bill Harrison, that is...as he is being named as the new CEO of North Carolina's public schools.

Whoa...what?

Yes...in a dramatic and unprecedented move by Gov. Beverly Perdue that combines the previous positions of the formerly-elected State Supt. of Public Instruction and chairman of the State Board of Education, Harrison will be the sole point-person, appointed by Perdue, to oversee public education in the state's 100 counties.

Many armchair watchers of public education (me included) have longed for the unnecessary layers of bureaucracy to disappear in Raleigh. It's finally happening.

News & Record:

William “Bill” Harrison, Cumberland County’s schools superintendent, is Perdue’s choice to be both chairman of the State Board of Education and chief executive officer of North Carolina’s public schools, a new position.

In essence, Harrison will lead both the policy-making and day-to-day operations in the Department of Public Instruction.

“I believe the changes will end up providing more accountability in our schools and I believe what you’re seeing is the first movement toward a more consolidated system,” Perdue, a Democrat, said Monday afternoon. She made the announcement in Raleigh flanked by the state’s top educational leaders, including Harrison and UNC President Erskine Bowles.

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I've got to hand it to Perdue, this was a bold, gutzy move. I hope it is successful for the sake of our children.

E.C. :)