Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds
At the end of the school year, after four years in office, Tennessee’s education commissioner Penny Schwinn will step down. The Tennessee Department of Education’s deputy commissioner of operations, Sam Pearcy, will step into the role in an interim capacity, and Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds will take over in July. Reynolds comes to Tennessee during an extremely fluid moment for the state’s education sector, and her leadership could shape the landscape for years to come. So what makes her qualified for the job, and what can we expect from her?
Reynolds arrives from Texas with a decades-long career in education policy. Most recently she served as the vice president of policy at the Florida-based ExcelinEd, a privatization-oriented nonprofit founded by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush that shapes education policy nationwide. ExcelinEd has a consistent presence in Tennessee, having engaged with state leaders on matters including the state’s education funding formula, private school vouchers, charter schools, academics and more.
Before her role at ExcelinEd, Reynolds also worked for the Texas Education Agency in several capacities, including as chief deputy commissioner. (Schwinn also held a deputy education commissioner position while in Texas.) While at the TEA in 2007, Reynolds was involved in a controversy over an employee who alerted locals about a lecture related to evolution and creationism. The TEA’s then-director of science Christine Comer highlighted a speech to be given by Texas professor Barbara Forrest, author of a book about how creationism theories can creep into and threaten public education. Reynolds, as reported by The New York Times, considered Comer’s action “an offense that calls for termination.” Comer resigned. Other notable positions Reynolds has held include deputy legislative director for then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. During his presidency, Reynolds worked as a special assistant in the office of legislation and congressional affairs for U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and as regional representative for U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
Reynolds was open to an interview with the Scene, but Gov. Lee’s press secretary Jade Byers told us it would have to wait until she takes office.
Although school won’t be in session when she begins her tenure, Reynolds will need to hit the ground running as Tennessee undergoes several monumental transitions this summer. The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding formula — the first new funding formula in more than 30 years — will be rolled out in the coming school year. Additionally, this is the first summer when many third-graders may be flooding summer learning camps to avoid retention. A 2021 law requires certain third-graders who don’t pass the English language arts portion of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program to either attend summer school, receive tutoring in fourth grade or both in order to be promoted. The initial TCAP scores are scheduled to be released on May 19, and a short retesting window will follow right before summer programming begins. The timing could make it difficult for some districts to properly staff and implement these summer programs, and they’ll likely look to the TDOE for assistance.
The TISA funding formula and the third-grade retention law demonstrate how aggressively the Lee administration has shaped politics in the past few years. Another major legislative priority for the governor was his Education Savings Account program, which allows the families of public school students to use taxpayer money to attend private schools. After being held up in court for years, the program quickly kicked off just before the start of the 2022-23 school year. Now that the program is in full swing — and was expanded to include Chattanooga alongside Memphis and Nashville during this year’s legislative session — rollout under a new commissioner will be worth keeping an eye on.
“She is going to carry out the agenda of sort of advancing choice, whether that’s around charters or ESAs — and that’s something that ExcelinEd prioritizes as well — so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that that will be part of her portfolio,” says Gini Pupo-Walker, state director of public school advocacy group The Education Trust in Tennessee. “We have to remember, it’s the same governor, same governor’s team with the same priorities, so that’s not going to change.”
We’ll stand by to see what Reynolds prioritizes during her tenure and how staffing in the department changes upon her arrival. We might see her make moves around topics including college pathways or the school accountability system. Schwinn, who received criticism from both the left and the right, struggled in her relationship with lawmakers — perhaps Lee expects a smoother path on that front.
Until Reynolds arrives and gets to work, Tennesseans can only hope she doesn’t further chip away at the state of public education in the state. But as long as Lee is governor, don’t get your hopes up on that front.
