Kentucky media and its "noise" received the blame from Barbara Erwin for her decision Friday to decline a position she had previously accepted as Kentucky's next education commissioner.

"The continued noise by the media is and will detract us from our mission of ensuring ALL children reach proficiency by our 2014 date. Our focus is much too important for anything or anyone to draw our attention off point," said Erwin in a letter to board members for the Kentucky Department of Education.

Erwin's complaints appear to be another case of "shooting the messenger," because the state's media was simply doing its job and fulfilling its obligation to the citizens of Kentucky by pointing out potential problems and discrepancies.

Even as Erwin met with the state board this week, questions from her old job - including a police investigation into a missing personnel file at the school district she's leaving - followed her to Kentucky, according to an Associated Press report

Erwin said Wednesday that she was unaware of the investigation because she had been out of the country.

She was identified as the leading candidate for the Kentucky job on April 25. Since then, questions surfaced regarding possible inaccuracies on her resume, including a discrepancy about her claim that she has twice received the Texas Superintendent of the Year award.

The Texas Association of School Administrators, which was one of the groups listed on her resume, has said it does not present such an award. Erwin has told reporters there were no problems with her resume.

While progress has been made in the state's education system, Kentucky can't afford the type of distractions that Erwin was bringing with her from Illinois.

The Kentucky Department of Education and the search firm responsible for identifying candidates must be more thorough as the quest to find a new leader begins again.

The future of education in our state demands no less.