Deputy Education Commissioner Russell Johnston, a long-serving state official specializing in special education, was unanimously selected Tuesday to temporarily take the helm of the state's K-12 education department after Commissioner Jeffrey Riley steps down in March.
The flurry of activities represents an ideological shift that has reshaped a union once known as a conciliatory behind-the-scenes dealmaker into a more populist workers’ rights movement that eagerly blocks state policies it opposes and pushes for new initiatives, such as better social-emotional supports for students and greater racial equity.