BOSTON (SHNS) - Acting Department of Education Commissioner Russell Johnston is not vying for the permanent job leading the state's K-12 education department, he announced at a Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting on Tuesday. Johnston has led the agency since March, when former Commissioner Jeff Riley stepped down. He has had a lengthy education career, serving as a special educator, the superintendent of West Springfield Public Schools and as an ombudsman during efforts to implement the Individuals with Disability's Education Act. He earns a $246,636 salary in the interim role running the state's public schools. Soon after he took the helm, Johnston announced the state would begin to transition Holyoke Public Schools out of state controlled receivership. Working with all three school districts in receivership to create a transition plan back to local control has been a focus of his time as commissioner. "I just want to announce publicly that I am not applying for the position, and it's really actually a push to get the very best person to apply, because I sincerely believe in this work, I believe in this agency, I believe in the team at this agency," Johnston said. The state hired the search firm Isaacson, Miller to find Riley’s permanent replacement. An associate from the firm, Arianna Williams, told the board Tuesday that they have had many candidates interested in the position from all over the state and country. The agency is poised to redesign its accountability system, after voters this fall upended the state's current testing-based method. Students no longer need to pass a statewide standardized test in order to graduate from high school, and stakeholders from DESE, the Healey administration, the Legislature and teachers unions are likely going to convene to create a new system to replace the MCAS graduation requirement. Board Chair Katherine Craven has warned that the department may be sued for failing to assure there’s adequate and equitable learning taking place in schools without a statewide accountability system in place. Craven said Johnston was not pursuing the permanent job for "personal reasons," but the acting commissioner did not expand on what they were. "Russell, I've known you for over 20 years, your work at DESE has been outstanding. I know you're making this decision based on personal reasons, but we really are grateful to you for your many years of service to this department and all the children of the commonwealth," Craven said. She continued, "You're one of the nicest, smartest, best administrators that I've come in contact with, and I'm just really sad to hear your news that you didn't want to pursue this further, and I'm sure the staff is as well, but I respect your decision to do that." Board Vice Chair Matt Hills offered his own take on Johnston's choice to not pursue the job. "In my experience, which is not complete, this is really unusual," Hills said. "... We might have absolutely outstanding candidates, and that's great. It is not common. It is not something that happens every time, and it's not okay when someone in the prime of their career being in a good position to be considered for something that we generally have considered, we have thought was a dream job, to suddenly pull himself out so he can look for a job somewhere else." Hills suggested that the board's subcommittee in charge of the search -- made up of Craven, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler and board members Ericka Fisher and Martin West -- be prepared to answer questions from candidates about why the acting commissioner, "with a national reputation, who's respected in the field across the country" and works well with the board and administration, did not take the job. "This is not, 'Should Russell reverse his decision?' His decision's made. It's a personal decision. There are people who are aware of this, who are thinking, huh? What's going on here? ... You figure out how you're going to handle this, but not hearing the question from anyone doesn't mean there aren't a bunch of people asking the question out there," Hills said.