New York City native and former state education commissioner John King Jr. has been tapped by President Obama to oversee the Education Department after Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced his resignation Friday.
In an unconventional move, however, Obama declined to nominate King to be secretary, which would require confirmation by the Republican-run Senate. Elevating King in an acting capacity spares Obama a potential clash with Senate Republicans over his education policies as his term draws to a close.
King grew up in Brooklyn with his teacher parents until his mother died when he was 8 years old and his father died when King Jr. was 12. He moved around between family members and schools afterward, and King said, "New York City public school teachers are the reason I am alive."
"They are the reason I became a teacher. They are the reason I am standing here today," King said at the president's news conference announcing Duncan's resignation and King's appointment.
He said: "Every child deserves the opportunity I had to have a great education."
King had been working as a senior official in the Education Department under Duncan. Before that, he served as New York state education commissioner and often became a focal point for parents' frustration during the rollout of the Common Core curriculum. He attended forums and promised to tweak the curriculum based on parents' and teachers' concerns but said that it overall was working.
