Inslee taps Renton schools leader as first hire
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Gov.-elect Jay Inslee is tapping someone with public education experience to serve as his chief of staff.
Inslee said Thursday he had chosen Mary Alice Heuschel to serve as his top adviser. She has been working as superintendent of the Renton School District.
Inslee touted her educational achievements and said her leadership and management style were attributes that would help him in the governor's office.
Education will be a top issue for Inslee as he enters the governor's office in January. Lawmakers are looking to add billions of dollars of new funding to the education system, and voters recently approved a system of charter schools.
Inslee said Thursday he had chosen Mary Alice Heuschel to serve as his top adviser. She has been working as superintendent of the Renton School District.
Inslee touted her educational achievements and said her leadership and management style were attributes that would help him in the governor's office.
Education will be a top issue for Inslee as he enters the governor's office in January. Lawmakers are looking to add billions of dollars of new funding to the education system, and voters recently approved a system of charter schools.
Great, another public employee with strong ties to our overly powerful public unions. Good luck with education reform.Â
 @lakeview She is not a union employee, and as a superintendent has been, if anything, a union adversary.  Your post shows a profound ignorance about public education and unions. Â
Amazing. We live in Renton and had to put our kid in private school because the local elementary was so terrible. Renton's schools are overcrowded, physically run down, have low achievement level for students and have gang activity at the higher age levels...and THIS is how Inslee wants to run his ship?
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I hope this is not reflective of his overall decision-making skills.
 @Kitt Bradley Renton was like that long before she got there, and will remain that way long after she leaves.  Racism has drawn illogical attendance areas that has concentration poor and immigrant children in specific schools and that is a very hard challenge to overcome for any leader.  In addition, rather than walk to their neighborhood schools, because of those attendance areas many kids have to bus out of their area which disconnects them, and their parents, from the community.  This superintendent has nothing to do with what you describe.    Your post shows a profound ignorance about public education, attendance areas, and how they affect what actually happens in the classrooms.  My daughter, rather than walk two blocks to her school in the Sunset area on the rich side of Sunset, was bussed all the way across Renton, almost to Seattle.  It's complete nonsense, it's classist and maybe racist, and unless and until the concept of neighborhood schools is brought back, will not change. Â