Governor-elect Matt Meyer nominates the current U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten for Delaware’s next Secretary of Education.

Marten was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the U.S. Department of Education’s second-in-command in 2021 after serving as the superintendent of San Diego’s Unified School District for eight years, the state’s second largest school district.

“I am honored to join Governor-elect Meyer’s team and help lead Delaware’s public schools into a new era,” Marten said in a statement. “I believe deeply in the power of education to change lives, and I am committed to working with teachers, parents, students, and communities to ensure all of Delaware’s children receive a world-class education.”

She has over 15 years of experience as a classroom teacher in California and is the author of “Word Crafting: Teaching Spelling, Grades K-6,” which highlights literacy as a key to students’ success.

Her nomination comes amid a crucial point in revamping Delaware’s public education system, which is facing record-low math and literacy proficiency rates, a teacher shortage and ongoing efforts to rework the state’s outdated education funding formula, which has not been reworked since the 1940s.

“Cindy Marten is a proven leader with a deep understanding of the challenges that students and educators face. She has spent her career working to ensure every student has the tools and resources they need to thrive,” Meyer said in a statement. “As Delaware’s next Secretary of Education, Cindy will guide our classrooms into a brighter future where equity, opportunity, and excellence are at the heart of everything we do.”

State Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D-Woodbrook), chair of the Senate Education Committee and co-chair of the Public Education Funding Commission (PEFC), is excited to have a new voice in the funding formula conversation.

She feels the looming transition to a new administration may have kept current Education Secretary Mark Holodick from being too proactive in PEFC conversations, which is currently deciding if the funding formula should be reworked or scrapped entirely.

“Knowing that this transition was coming, knowing that we were gonna have a new governor and potentially a new secretary of education, I think made it difficult for the [current] secretary of education to feel like he wanted to be too proactive and put his finger on the scale too much of what was going to happen because he didn’t know what his future held,” Sturgeon said. “But now, having someone who knows they’re gonna be in this position for the foreseeable future, gives us an opportunity to really hear her thoughts, and she can bring all her experience to bear on her opinions and comments during these these meetings, so I actually think it’s a great thing. I think her coming along might spark some new life and energy into the commission that we could use.”

Sturgeon is equally optimistic about Marten’s background and experience, feeling that their values align on many levels.

“I love that she spent so many years as an educator at the building level, whether it was in the classroom or as a principal. I think that experience makes her exactly the kind of person we need to lead education policy,” Sturgeon added. “The fact that she comes from a big state, and then [Washington D.C.] and then tiny Delaware — I just hope that she finds working in such a small state gratifying because we all do know each other, and we can get things done because of our proximity to all the various stakeholders and all the various levels of power.”

State Rep. Kim Williams (D-Stanton), chair of the House Education Committee and co-chair of PEFC with Sturgeon, believes Delaware will be an adjustment for Marten, but she’s confident in her ability to adapt.

“It’s a challenge. It’s gonna be a challenge for anyone new, especially coming from out of state. She’s going to have to meet all the superintendents, all the charter [schools], all the stakeholders, get to know the ins and outs of government in Delaware, but if she can do that in [Washington D.C.], Delaware should probably be a little simpler to manage,” Williams said.

House Republican Leader Tim Dukes (R-Laurel) says he is impressed with Marten’s resume and is looking forward to working with her, but questions remain about how she will work within a small state like Delaware.

“It’ll be interesting to see what the new secretary brings in new ideas and how she she functions and gets along with our superintendents and our leaders of schools, and then also the General Assembly. So we’re open and we welcome her here and look forward to working with her, but we have a lot of questions just because of the unknown.”

Stephanie Ingram, President of the Delaware State Education Association, was able to sit down with Marten and discuss her approach and commended the high marks she earned from the National education Association and other pro-union organizations.

“Based on our conversations, I believe Deputy Secretary Marten will quickly become a strong partner for public educators as we continue working  to raise educator pay, improve school climates, reform Delaware’s antiquated and inequitable education funding formula, and ensure all students have an opportunity to succeed,” Ingram said in a statement.

Several other educational stakeholders have released statements in support of Marten’s nomination, including the Delaware Charter Schools Network (DCSN) and non-profit organization First State Educate.

“As we welcome Ms. Marten to Delaware, we hope to see continued support for charter schools as we work together to ensure all children in our state have access to the quality education they deserve. We are confident that her leadership, along with Governor-elect Meyer’s vision, will help drive the changes necessary to make education more equitable, accessible, and effective for all Delaware students. We look forward to working with Secretary Marten as we continue to build a brighter future for Delaware’s students,” a statement from DCSN reads.

Marten must gain final approval from the Delaware Senate in a confirmation hearing later this month.

Meyer nor Marten were available for additional comment.