Governor Gregoire's proposal to consolidate the administration of all levels of education in the state into one cabinet level department is a radical change from the practices that have been in place since statehood, particularly in terms of the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction.

But looking at the rest of the nation, including Washington, D.C., what is being proposed is, in fact, the way of life in nearly three-quarters of the states.

According to the Council of Chief State School Officers, 37 states and the District of Columbia have unelected administrators with various titles heading up state departments of education.

What stands out is the pattern of which states elect some form of a statewide education officer.  If charted on a map, it appears as a geographic phenomenon with Oregon, California, Arizona, Idaho, Montana,Wyoming and North Dakota all joining Washington in putting the choice to the ballot box. Other states employing the same system are Indiana, Wisconsin and Oklahoma, as well as North and South Carolina.