Two long-term Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) executives have announced they will be leaving the department in the coming months. This announcement comes on the heels of Commissioner Penny Schwinn’s June 1 resignation.
Eve Carney (pictured above, left), TDOE deputy commissioner, and Meghan McLeroy (pictured above, right), TDOE’s chief statewide support officer, have served the department for over a quarter of a century. Along the way, they have earned accolades and appreciation from the state’s educators.
One superintendent, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Tennessee Star, “It will be a hit. I like both of them. I always felt like they were willing to listen to feedback.’
Carney has been with TDOE since 2008. During her tenure, she has earned the reputation of being one of the department’s most dependable leaders. During her time, she has served under four separate commissioners of education. Local superintendents have often expressed appreciation for her accessibility and transparency.
In October 2022, it was revealed that the TDOE was out of compliance with the United States Department of Education (USDOE) over its accountability measurements. The TDOE was forced to change state rules or risk losing millions in federal funds. Though Schwinn was named in the letter from the USDOE, oversight of the state’s accountability department fell to Carney’s purview.
In January, Carney was promoted to deputy superintendent and was named by the non-profit education policy advocacy group Chiefs for Change as a “future” chief.
Since 2010, the TDOE has been overseen by a superintendent drawn from the ranks of the Jeb Bush-founded advocacy group. Despite previous issues, Carney being tapped for inclusion was seen as an indication of her status as the designated heir apparent to Schwinn.
However, during this year’s state legislative session, Carney did not fare well when testifying in House hearings. During one session, she and State House Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) engaged in a testy exchange over student math proficiency rates.
“It seems like we said 22 percent of our kids are on grade level in high school in mathematics. And it seems you just glossed over that. Like, 78 percent of our kids are not, and you never answered. You never offered a reason why you’re concerned why 78 percent of our kids are not on grade level math,” said the representative. “I would like to know from the department: is this a concern of the Department of Education that 78 percent of our kids are not on grade level in math?”
Carney responded, “I can assure you that 22 percent is not acceptable for me. It is not acceptable for the Commissioner or any of us in the department.”
She did not appear before legislators again during the 2023 session.
To fill the void left by Schwinn’s departure, fellow TDOE Deputy Commissioner Sam Pearcy has been named interim Tennessee Commissioner of Education until new Governor Bill Lee appointee Lizzette Gonzales Reynolds is sworn in on July 1.
Carney’s resignation will be effective June 30. She has not indicated where she will go next.
Meghan McLeroy joined the department in 2011. She is responsible for supporting schools and districts statewide. Over the past year, McLeroy has been the primary connection between the TDOE and local districts. She stood in on weekly conference calls instead of the increasingly absent Schwinn. Her resignation is effective August 1.
The continued loss of veteran leadership further depletes the TDOE of much-needed institutional knowledge.
In February of this year, Charlie Buffalino left as the TDOE’s assistant commissioner of Policy & Legislative Affairs to join the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools as senior director of State Advocacy and Support.
In March, Tennessee’s chief academic officer, Lisa Coons left to become Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction.
This loss of institutional knowledge puts new Gonzales Reynolds at a disadvantage as she prepares to take over department leadership. Gonzales Reynolds has never lived in Tennessee nor served in a school as a classroom instructor. The Schwinn holdovers were expected to help guide her through her inaugural months. She’ll now have to look elsewhere for knowledge of past policy decisions.
Carney and McLeroy were two of four remaining members from Schwinn’s original cabinet. The other two are Pearcy and Christy Ballard, TDOE’s lead attorney.
Gonzales Reynolds looks to take office at a particularly challenging time. The state is transitioning to a new education funding formula on July 1, enforcing a new third-grade retention policy, operating large-scale tutoring and summer learning programs to help students catch up from the pandemic, expanding its private school voucher program to a third major city, while addressing a growing state-wide teacher shortage.
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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
Photo “Eve Carney” by Dr. Eve Carney. Photo “Meghan McLeroy” by Meghan Curran McLeroy. Background Photo “Classroom” by Wokandapix.
