Big news from DESE this evening: Commissioner Riley is resigning

Commissioner Riley is ending his tenure with the Department, submitting his resigning effective March 15 of this year:

I am writing to let you know that after six years of service, I am stepping down from my position as Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, effective March 15, 2024.

The full letter, as shared by MASS, is here. He says it is due to needing to care for elderly parents, as well as the Department needing someone who can devote the next five years to service.
I will reserve comment. 

So what happens now? 
For this, we look to MGL Ch. 15, sec. 1F:

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the position of commissioner, the board shall by a two-thirds vote of all its members submit to the secretary, for the secretary's approval, a recommended candidate to fill that vacancy. The secretary may appoint the recommended candidate as commissioner. If the secretary declines to appoint the candidate, the board shall submit a new candidate for consideration. The secretary may appoint the commissioner only from candidates submitted to the secretary by the board.

Riley is recommending Russell Johnston as the interim (like a superintendent, we have to have a Commissioner); that very much does not preclude further action. I would suspect, as last time, that they would do a full national search, with a confidential round of interviews with a search committee. But that is only my hunch. 

The rest of that section, incidentally, reads as follows:

The board may in its discretion by majority vote of all its members remove the commissioner. The commissioner shall be the secretary to the board, its chief executive officer and the chief state school officer for elementary and secondary education. The commissioner shall receive a salary to be determined by the board.

The board may delegate its authority or any portion thereof to the commissioner whenever in its judgment such delegation may be necessary or desirable. The commissioner shall exercise such delegated powers and duties with the full authority of the board.

As Riley noted at his last meeting was then approaching his six year anniversary; he was appointed in January of 2018 after Commissioner Chester died the prior June, with Jeff Wulfson serving as interim (after being appointed at genuinely the weirdest and saddest Board meeting ever).

Also, I had some thoughts about how I'd do if if I were in charge (which I very much am not) the last time we did this. I may give some more thought to that now, in, as always, my personal capacity.

Images of full letter:

More as there is anything!