Barresi's Rough Start: New School Chief Finds Bumps in the Road

No serious observer thinks that governing is easy. It isn't.

Just ask the new state superintendent of education, Janet Barresi, who battled with the state board of education in a meeting today.

According to the AP, Tulsa board member Tim Gilpin "had several loud exchanges"with Barresi. Gilpin also referred to her as a "dictator," the AP reported.

The board also refused to hire three employees Barresi requested, expressing "concerns that the three had been giving directions to Department of Education employees since Barresi took office on Jan. 10."

We don't know the source of these conflicts, so we're reluctant to start playing the blame game. But this is hardly a smooth start for Barresi, who is discovering first-hand the difficulties of state politics.