Many Top Education Posts Still Vacant a Year Into DeVos Tenure

Jared Bass was quoted in Bloomberg Government on how vacancies in the Department of Education might impact the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act:

Still, acting secretaries are only a temporary fix said Jared Bass, a former senior policy adviser at the Education Department.

“It’s a game of musical chairs because you need know who your leader is going to be,” said Bass, now with think tank New America. “There’s no certainly in what you’re doing. That becomes challenging for staff.”

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Bass said political appointees are meant to be the link between the secretary and the career staffers, and he knew staffers frustrated from a lack of direction.

“When there is no one there to help and provide guidance, it’s hard for them to do their jobs,” Bass said. “If there’s no blueprint, it’s hard to know what you’re building.”