Gov. Kay Ivey spoke briefly with reporters this morning about her decision to dismiss Alabama Secretary of Early Childhood Education Barbara Cooper, a member of her cabinet who oversaw Alabama’s acclaimed pre-kindergarten program.

The governor gave the same reasons her office gave when Cooper was forced to resign last week — disagreement over a pre-K educator resource book that included references to structural racism in American history and equity and dignity for gay and transgender people. Ivey indicated those topics were outside the scope of what 4-year-olds should be taught.

“The governor has the authority and the right to hire and fire any staff member or cabinet member,” Ivey said this morning when asked why she dismissed Cooper. “We mutually agreed that she should move on and we needed to change the direction we were going in. We need to focus on the basics, ya’ll. The absolute basics of education. We’ve got to get this right. Focusing on math, reading, and basics, is what we need to be focusing on. And don’t let it get sidetracked on other items. And these are 4-year-olds besides that. So it’s just the right thing to do. I’m proud for Barbara to have served as she did. But it’s just time change the direction that we’re moving in.”

Asked what indicated Cooper was not focused on the basics, Ivey said, “The teacher resource book that I looked at had all those references to different kind of lifestyles and equity and this and that and the other. That’s not teaching English. That’s not teaching writing. That’s not teaching reading. We need to focus on the basics, y’all, and get this right.”

The governor answered questions during a brief session with reporters after a ceremonial bill signing at the Capitol.

Asked if not was beneficial for young children, 4-year-olds, to feel welcome in classrooms so they had the emotional basis to learn those concepts, Ivey said, “Sure we want all children to feel welcomed in classrooms but to focus on the basics of education so they can get math and science and reading under their belts.”

Last Friday, Ivey’s office released a statement saying that state officials were alerted about a pre-K educator resource book that they said contained “content that is simply not in line with what the Ivey Administration or the people of Alabama stand for or believe.” The book in question was the fourth edition of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, Ivey’s spokeswoman Gina Maiola confirmed Friday.

In the news release, Maiola said Ivey was concerned that the book tells teachers there are “larger systemic forces that perpetuate systems of White privilege” and that “the United States is built on systemic and structural racism.” She was concerned, too, Maiola said, with the directions that “LGBTQIA+ need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity and worth.”

The governor’s office said last week that Ivey directed Cooper to send a memo to disavow the book and discontinue its use. The governor then made the decision to have a change in leadership at the department and accepted Cooper’s resignation immediately, according to the news release.

According to its website, NAEYC is a national accrediting board that works to provide high-quality early learning materials for children up to age eight. Cooper was elected to the association’s national governing board in 2022 and her term ends in 2026.

Earlier this week, leaders of the organization pushed back Ivey’s denunciation of the training materials and firing of Cooper. A group of 11 current and former executives called Ivey’s recent actions a “renewed attack” on educators.

Read more: National pre-K group NAEYC defends Barbara Cooper, Alabama official ousted over ‘woke’ training

Ivey appointed Cooper as secretary of Early Childhood Education in 2020. Cooper had worked at the Department of Early Childhood Education since 2018. Cooper has worked more than 30 years in education. She served as deputy state superintendent/chief academic officer of the Alabama State Department of Education, deputy superintendent of Huntsville City Schools, chief equity and engagement officer of Aurora Public Schools (Colorado) and as a principal with Denver Public Schools. She has teaching experience ranging from elementary to teacher instruction.

The National Institute for Early Education Research has recognized Alabama’s prekindergarten program for meeting all of its quality benchmarks for more than a decade.