COLUMBUS (AP) - Ohio's top education official resigned today amid ethical questions about his work for an educational testing contractor.
Stan Heffner's two-sentence letter was released by the state Education Department and said he would leave next Friday.
Gov. John Kasich said it was the right move. "His mistakes in judgment were unfortunate, but I respect him for always putting Ohio's students above everything else, including his own interests," Kasich said in an emailed comment.
Deputy Superintendent Michael Sawyers will become acting superintendent.
No reason for his departure was given in the letter, but it came just days after a state watchdog's findings of wrongdoing against Heffner.
The report Thursday by Inspector General Randall Meyer found that Heffner was on the payroll of a Texas-based testing firm when he lobbied state lawmakers last year on a bill that benefited the company, among other findings.