Mayor Bloomberg has appointed Cathleen Black as the new NYC Schools Chancellor to succeed Joel Klein.  Ms. Black is a corporate executive and magazine publisher who has no education experience, did not attend public school herself, and sent her children to private boarding schools in Connecticut.  Her background does not qualify her to lead a school system of 1.1 million public school students.

NY state law requires that candidates for school superintendency who do not meet minimal requirements must receive a waiver from Education Commissioner David Steiner. This waiver is to be issued only to persons “whose exceptional training and experiences are the substantial equivalent of such requirements and qualify such persons for the duties of a superintendent of schools.”  Ms. Black has no “exceptional” training or experiences that would qualify her for this position.

NYC has had nine long years of a chancellor who was not an educator.  NYC public school students have suffered enough with crowded classrooms, inflated test scores, and parents shut out of the system.  Our children can only be saved if we have an educator as Chancellor, and who understands what a quality education really means. The waiver must be denied.

Take action now by signing our petition, and your letter will be sent immediately to Commissioner Steiner, the Board of Regents, and the entire NY State Legislature. Please also follow up with a call to the Commissioner’s office at (518) 474-5844. 

Thank you for supporting our kids.

NYC Kids PAC