Former U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer was elected chairman of the Colorado Board of Education today.

Under state legislation passed last year, the board is charged with crafting plans to overhaul the state's education system.

Schaffer promised to play a "assertive" role in creating a "first-class education" for Colorado students.

Schaffer, a Republican who has served on the education board since 2005, ran unsuccessfully for the a U.S. Senate seat won Mark Udall November.

The education board is split 4-3 in favor of Republicans. But the board unanimously voted to make Schaffer its chairman.

As congressman, Schaffer voted against Republican President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act. He believed that education should be left to the states - not the federal government.