Ex-SLCC board chief picked for state panel

John Pingree is being replaced on the State Board of Education because he moved outside his district.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is appointing former Salt Lake Community College board chairman Randall Mackey to fill the District 7 seat, he announced Thursday.

The Utah Senate must confirm the appointment.

Mackey holds a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University and law degrees from Columbia and Oxford universities. A member of the governor's transition committee for education policy, Mackey has served on a number of education boards, including trustees of SLCC from 1993-2003; Salt Lake/Tooele Applied Technology College from 2001-03; and Wasatch Front South Applied Technology Center from 2000-01.

Mackey's experience will complement the school board's efforts to improve public education, Huntsman said.

"He will continue our goal of strengthening public education with a seamless and focused pre-school through college (P-16) strategy that prepares all students for the work force of tomorrow via a sustained rigorous and relevant curriculum," Huntsman said in a prepared statement.

Mackey, a father of eight, called the appointment a challenge he's eager to meet with an open mind.

"I certainly intend to do a lot of listening," and he hopes to arrange meetings with parents, teachers, school bosses and students. "We can't be afraid to try new things, though not make changes just for the sake of making change."

The attorney and president of the law firm of Mackey, Price Thompson & Ostler says he is concerned about students who are at risk for academic failure and who drop out. He wants to find better ways to meet system challenges and recognize and compensate schoolteachers.

Mackey said he has not taken a position on tax credits for private school tuition, a controversial, perennial proposal on Utah's Capitol Hill.

"We certainly have some good private schools in Utah, but my commitment is really to the public schools, and finding ways to strengthen the public schools and make sure we're fulfilling the mission the voters, the taxpayers and the parents would want us to," Mackey said.

Pingree, former general manager of the Utah Transit Authority and executive director of Semani, the Foundation, was appointed to the board in July 2001, filling the seat vacated by former chairwoman Jill Kennedy. He was elected to the post last year.

Pingree's family was moving to a house initially believed to be inside District 7 boundaries, Pingree said. But later, he realized it was not.

"We had gone so far on this home, there was just no way to get out of it," Pingree said. "It's something I felt badly about. I very much enjoyed (serving on the board) and wanted to stay on, but the law is very clear."

Pingree said his new residence is in District 8, represented by vice chairwoman Janet Cannon.

He said he has no plans to challenge her.

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com