NYC School System Turmoil

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Mayor and State Reach Deal on a Schools Chief,” describes a political solution to the problem of who will be running New York City’s school system, though the substantive arrangements remain very much in doubt.

Mayor Bloomberg initially threw things into turmoil when he selected a new chancellor with no experience in public schools or even an advanced educational degree. His choice to replace the retiring chancellor, Joel Klein, was Cathleen Black, a media executive and successful CEO. But when the state educational commissioner, David Steiner, balked at confirming her by waiving the credentials normally required by state law, heated negotiations ensued.

The resolution involved creating a secondary post of chief academic officer and selecting Shael Polakow-Suransky, a former principal and official at the New York City Department of Education. Her duties are said to include oversight of the curriculum and testing, yet she still reports to Ms. Black and has no independent authority.

All this takes place against the backdrop of the devolution of authority over the schools to the Mayor in 2002, and Mr. Bloomberg was described as hating interference with his responsibilities. The Mayor also has emphasized transformation of the New York City school system as the one capstone to determine his success in office. And this also foreshadows a potential independent run for President by Mayor Bloomberg. So the stakes here are high, and with lawsuits still pending against the selection of Ms. Black, despite the recent compromise, they remain unresolved.