Governor Chris Sununu has nominated former political rival Frank Edelblut as commissioner of the state Department of Education.
The announcement was a brief, unceremonious item on the Executive Council’s agenda Wednesday morning as Governor Chris Sununu read off a list of nominations.
“For the Commissioner of the state of the New Hampshire Department of Education I nominate Frank Edelblut of Wilton New Hampshire.”
But the choice signals a big shift in priorities for the state agency.
Frank Edelblut, a businessman who served one term as a state representative and home-schooled his 7 children, is known as an advocate for local control in education policy. He’s a strong supporter of school choice and charter schools and he also vigorously opposes Common Core.
Those positions helped him mount a strong run for governor in the Republican primary last year, narrowly losing to Chris Sununu.
With a Republican majority on the Executive Council, Edelblut’s nomination looks in good shape to be confirmed.
