Brett Barley chosen as Nevada deputy superintendent of student achievement

The Nevada Department of Education has selected Brett Barley, a vice president with a lobbying firm that supports education reform, to serve as deputy superintendent of student achievement.

Barley will fill a position vacated by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Steve Canavero, who Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed in February.

“Brett brings to this position professional experiences that span the classroom to the courthouse to the legislature,” Canavero said in a statement announcing Barley’s selection on Thursday.

According to a news release, Barley has led and managed state teams and oversaw a multimillion-dollar budget for StudentsFirst, a lobbyist organization created by Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of public schools Washington, D.C. The group has helped pass education policies across the country and promotes charter schools, teacher tenure reform and voucher programs.

Barley also worked on gang and juvenile justice issues in the district attorney’s office in Santa Clara County, California, and taught fourth grade at a school in San Jose, according to the release.

A spokesman for the education department cited a $108,540 salary for Barley.

“After having worked in 18 states the past four years to pass laws in state capitals I can say with confidence that Nevada has done more to transform the education policy landscape than any state in the country,” Barley said in a statement. “Nevada has the potential to be the next great American education success story, and I look forward to working with the Nevada Department of Education to write that story.”

Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton