Chitown CEO Nixed in NYC!... Byrd Bennett strikes out in New York City as her slavish adherence to Rahm's school closing quota catches up with her
Despite her attempt to escape Chicago, schools chief Barbara Byrd Bennett will not find a new home running the nation's largest school system after a little more than a year running the nation's third largest school system. In a confirmation that Chicago Schools "Chief Executive Officer" Barbara Byrd Bennett was shopping around to get back to New York City, this time as chancellor of the largest school system in the USA, the New York Daily News reports on December 10, 2013 that she is being nixed in New York.
Chicago schools Chief Executive Officer Barbara Byrd Bennett completed her main assignment from Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the Board of Education's May 22, 2013 meeting (above) when she recommended the gutting of the city's real public school system with the unprecedented closing of 49 of Chicago's real public schools. The recommendation, which was passed unanimously by the seven member school board of the nation's third largest school system, followed six months of maneuvering and lies which saw "hearings" during which 30,000 people virtually unanimously opposed Byrd Bennett's proposal to close those schools. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.Why? Because she had been such a slave to the whims of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Specifically, according to the New York sources, her closing of 50 of Chicago's real public schools in May 2013 was the deal breaker. Despite Rahm Emanuel's posings as a major force in politics across the USA, it may be that there is a Curse of Rahm and Byrd Bennett's failure to reach the finalists for the NYC job is just the beginning. Newly elected New York City Mayor Bill diBlasio was elected on a promise to change things from the dictatorial regime of billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and one of the most important changes will come if deBlasio decided to take on corporate school reform and begin to roll back the expansion of charter schools and the closing of the city's real public schools. Clearly, as The Daily News notes, the person who did the dirty work of corporate reform in Chicago is unlikely to be the choice to undo such corporate dirty work in New York.
But the deal isn't done until New York selects a schools chancellor, so Byrd Bennett is still officially in the running. And one question for Chicago is how long she has to remain here, now that she has made it clear that she wants out. She won't be the first to leave abruptly after proclaiming her love for Chicago, its schools, and the children -- repeating regularly the talking points of those who script corporate school reform locally and across the USA.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS STORY BELOW HERE:
United Federation of Teachers boss praises Bill de Blasio's school chancellor candidates Michael Mulgrew approves of the Mayor-elect's contenders: Carmen Farina, Kathleen Cashin, Linda Darling-Hammond, Andres Alonso and Joshua Starr.
BY RACHEL MONAHAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013, 1:41 AM
The head of the city�s teachers union offered his stamp of approval for most of the names mentioned as candidates being considered for schools chancellor under Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio.
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, in his first public comments on the search, praised a handful of the leading contenders Monday.
Mulgrew didn�t hesitate to offer kind words for former Deputy Chancellor Carmen Farina, state Board of Regents Member Kathleen Cashin, Stanford Prof. Linda Darling-Hammond, former Baltimore schools chief Andres Alonso and Montgomery County, Md., Superintendent Joshua Starr.
�All of these people you�re talking to me about � great,� Mulgrew said, speaking to the press outside a �Reclaim Public Education� event at UFT headquarters in lower Manhattan. He noted that the list of names mentioned in the press included only educators. Mayor Bloomberg�s former Chancellors Cathie Black and Joel Klein were criticized for lacking a background in the field.
But Mulgrew offered a less-than-sterling review for Chicago schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett.
�Obviously, the closing of 52 schools in Chicago is a problem, since closing schools in New York City is an issue,� he said.
On Washington, D.C., Superintendent Kaya Henderson, who is closely identified with Bloomberg administration allies in school reform, Mulgrew could only promise to keep an open mind.
The teachers union endorsed former Controller Bill Thompson over de Blasio in the primary but is nonetheless in close contact with the transition team, Mulgrew said.
Mulgrew dodged a question about what specific advice, if any, he�s given to the future mayor on his chancellor pick, saying instead he was willing to offer it in private.
�Mr. de Blasio�s policy and ours, as you all know, are pretty much in alignment on education. So it�s more about letting him and his team do their process and try to get the person they think is best for this moment at this point in time,� Mulgrew said.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/uft-boss-praises-de-blasio-school-chancellor-choices-article-1.1542866#ixzz2n5Zyf9m4
