Government makes no promises on assigning a Bermudian to the job of Education Commissioner, Permanent Secretary Warren Jones has warned.Hitting back at “negative comments” over the selection of US educator Edmond Heatley to the post previously held by Bermudian Wendy McDonell, Mr Jones insisted no qualified locals had been overlooked.Mr Jones ascribed “uproar” over the appointment to “a small group of disgruntled applicants twisting the facts to stir the public’s emotion around Bermudianisation”.Career development pathways would be put in place for a Bermudian to succeed Dr Heatley at the end of his three-year contract, he said — but added: “We’re not promising the job to anyone.”Saying the job description hadn’t been changed to exclude anyone, Mr Jones continued: “Everyone wants change, unless it effects them. Change takes leadership. The fact that there are negative comments about Dr Heatley does not concern me, because there’s no fact behind it.”The appointment of Dr Heatley was strictly a matter of “taking our children forward”, he said.“I am not for cutting corners — especially where our children are concerned.”Mr Jones said he’d fielded complaints that Dr Heatley didn’t have sufficient background.A minimum of 15 years’ experience was required for the job, while Dr Heatley — a former US Marine — comes with 17 years in education.“Let’s take 25 years as a teacher,” Mr Jones said. “Does that make you a system leader, or a good teacher? We’re looking for system leadership, not classroom leadership. We’re looking for someone who’s seen the movie before. If we had found a Bermudian who met that criteria, they would have the job.”Dr Heatley drew headlines in California last year after a firestorm of complaints from parents forced him to withdraw his bid to become Berkeley Schools District Supervisor.He was accused of overly forceful management, while others alleged Dr Heatley had backed State legislation hostile to same-sex marriage.US media also reported that Dr Heatley resigned last year as superintendent of Clayton County public schools in Georgia, following a controversy that included cuts to the district’s bus service.Mr Jones responded: “The fact that they ran a story that he resigned — they don’t know the background. They said he stopped the bus service. What were the facts?“If his decision is based on information or actions that the Board required of him, and the Board no longer supported him when noise was made, then he is where he is.”His remarks came as the Bermuda Public Services Union released a statement saying the concerns of the Bermuda public were warranted when it came to Dr Heatley’s former positions in the US.BPSU general secretary Edward Ball said: “We cannot go beyond the three-year contract offered to Dr Heatley without identifying a group of Bermudians that have all of the criteria to do the job to the satisfaction of the Public Service Commission.“However, in light of the public outcry, it may be foolhardy of the Minister to ignore the demand for a Bermudian to be the next Commissioner of Education.”Yesterday, Mr Jones described himself as “controversial as well”, while Minister Nalton Brangman defended him as the top technical officer in the school system.Senator Brangman added: “There are going to be those that will never agree with Mr Jones.“But he is not going anywhere, as long as I have something to do with it.”Mr Jones is also serving as Acting Commissioner of Education, as Ms McDonell is currently off the Island.Her tenure concludes this month. Dr Heatley’s post takes effect on September 11, with his first six months to be spent under probation.