December 29, 2000 EDUCATION SECRETARY- DESIGNATE: ROD PAIGE President-elect Bush has nominated Houston school superintendent Rod Paige for Secretary of Education.

Online Special: The Bush/Cheney Transition Sept. 20, 2000: George W. Bush's education plans. Nov. 16, 1999 Rod Paige on zero-tolerance discipline policies. Aug. 16, 1999 Rod Paige talks about school safety. Oct. 20, 1998 Rod Paige discusses the local vs. federal issue in education. Aug. 21, 1997 Rod Paige on overcrowded schools.     Houston Independent School District	Paige, 67, has led the Houston Independent School District since 1994. The 90 percent minority district is Texas' largest and the seventh-largest in the nation. Paige is credited with establishing Houston as one of the nation's top urban school districts, and test scores and academic performance have improved during his tenure. The Houston district no longer has social promotion and has ended racial quotas in magnet school assignments. Critics say Paige has not done much for Hispanic students, 54 percent of the student population. Also, Paige promised to make his district's teachers the highest paid in the area, but suburbs have matched his pay increases. With a salary of $275,000, Paige is thought to be the highest paid superintendent in the country. Before becoming superintendent of Houston's schools, Paige was elected to the district's board 1989. He also held several posts at historically black Texas Southern University. Before becoming dean of the school's College of Education, he was a professor and head coach of the football team. Paige was born in Mississippi, the son of a school principal and a librarian. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Jackson State University and a master's and doctorate in physical education from Indiana University. A longtime Republican who worked on former President George Bush's 1980 presidential campaign, Paige is the second black nominee for President-elect Bush's Cabinet. Bush tapped Colin Powell for Secretary of State.