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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Board of Education is leaning toward a new leadership structure at the Utah State Office of Education.
The board on Thursday decided to promote Scott Jones, former associate superintendent of business and operations, to deputy superintendent of operations — a new position. The decision was made public Friday.
Earlier this month, Jones announced he was resigning from the state education office to pursue a job offer from the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Army Reserve. But he has accepted the promotion and will remain at the state education office, according to State School Board spokeswoman Emilie Wheeler.
Jones said the decision was difficult, but he hopes the new role will help him "serve in a capacity that maximizes my experience, my educational value and promotes that core mission of providing resources to teachers."
His new appointment adds to a shuffle of other changes at the state education office this week after Brad Smith announced his resignation as state superintendent of public instruction on Tuesday.
Sydnee Dickson, who has previously served as deputy superintendent, was appointed as interim state superintendent of public instruction until the board decides on a permanent replacement for Smith.
Jones will now fill a role that is part of a new model for state education leadership that he and Dickson proposed to the board, which they say is intended to bring greater oversight and accountability to operations at the state office.
"That's kind of been lacking in our organizational structure," State School Board Chairman David Crandall said Thursday. He also said the change would free the executive superintendent to attend to other matters.
Historically, the leadership team at the Utah State Office of Education has included a state superintendent of public instruction, a deputy superintendent, and three associate superintendents.
The proposed model would also have a state superintendent of public instruction, but it would include two deputy superintendent positions: one over academics, and the other — now occupied by Jones — over operations. The team would transition to two associate superintendents: one over assessment, and the other over policies and plans.
Dickson told the board Thursday that the new model would clarify roles and responsibilities that have largely been undefined.
"It should be clearly defined so that we know where to support the superintendent, so that we know all of the programmatic and operational functions have some oversight," Dickson said.
