At a meeting with rural school superintendents in Limon, then-Deputy Education Commissioner Robert Hammond listened as one of them talked about a jazz musician who traveled school to school promoting the arts.
Afterward, he sent a personal check for $200 to back the effort. For Gerald Keefe, the superintendent of the Kit Carson R-1 School District who had talked about the program, that kind of concern for kids helped make Hammond a solid choice for commissioner of the Colorado Department of Education.
“I thought it was very genuine,” said Keefe. “I also appreciated his honesty and integrity. I think his character is beyond reproach, and he does truly care about what’s going on in rural Colorado.”
Hammond will get the official nod as the state’s commissioner of education at today’s board meeting. He has served in an interim capacity since December, when Dwight Jones left the position.
The board chose him over Aurora Public Schools Superintendent John Barry.
With key initiatives ready for implementation — including one that ties student performance to educators’ evaluations — Hammond’s already-proven ability to earn trust and respect statewide set him apart, board member Elaine Gantz Berman said.
“If these (initiatives) are not done well, and if we don’t have the support of the field, they won’t be successful,” Berman said. “One of our key goals was to select a commissioner who not only had the respect of the field but who could get the job done in a quality manner.”
Hammond’s support extended to reformers as well.
“One could imagine a totally outside-the-box innovator coming in but not having a great idea how Colorado works, what needs to be implemented or how,” said Tony Lewis, executive director of the Donnell-Kay Foundation. “Robert might have been a slightly safer choice but a good choice in the end.”
Hammond has worked for 23 years in K-12 education, including a stint as chief operations officer for the Boulder Valley School District. But he also has extensive experience in private financial management as well as public-sector jobs in city management.
“I’d say Robert Hammond is very good at getting things done,” said Floyd Beard, executive director at East Central BOCES in Limon. “If that’s a traditional person, he’s traditional. On the other hand, I think he has great vision for where the state needs to go, as far as education.”
Kevin Simpson: 303-954-1739 or ksimpson@denverpost.com
