Judge upholds appointment of Cathleen Black as New York City schools chancellor

From The New York Times: A judge has upheld the appointment of Cathleen P. Black as the next New York City schools chancellor. The ruling clears the way for her to start the job as scheduled next week. Justice Gerald W. Connolly of State Supreme Court in Albany dismissed three lawsuits that sought to overturn Black’s appointment. The judge’s 25-page ruling concluded that the state education commissioner was within his authority to excuse Black from the academic credentials normally required for the post.

Earlier from The New York Times: The father of two Brooklyn public school children has filed a lawsuit against New York state education officials to stop Cathleen P. Black from becoming the next New York City schools chancellor. The suit argued that David M. Steiner, the state education commissioner, erred in his interpretation of the law when he issued a waiver to permit Black to become chancellor even though she lacked the required education credentials and experience.

From The New York Times: Publishing executive Cathleen P. Black will be able to take the helm of New York City’s public school system after receiving a waiver from the state education commissioner that said her inexperience in education would be offset in part by the appointment of a chief academic officer to serve by her side. In a compromise with the commissioner, David Steiner, Black agreed to compensate for her lack of education credentials by installing, as her first act, an experienced educator as her chief deputy.

EARLIER....from The New York Times: New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has reached a deal to save the candidacy of Cathleen P. Black to be the next city schools chancellor. He has agreed to appoint a chief academic officer to serve as Black's second in command. As a result, the state education commissioner, David M. Steiner, has agreed to grant Black an exemption from the normal credentials required by state law for the position.

ALSO: Shael Polakow-Suransky, selected to be the chief academic officer for the New York City school system, is a byproduct of a public school system. He began as a mathematics teacher and worked his way up to become a top executive in the school system.

From The New York Times: The candidacy of Cathleen P. Black, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's choice to be chancellor of the New York City schools, was in jeopardy as both a panel weighing her credentials and the state official who will determine her fate expressed deep doubts about her readiness for the job. David M. Steiner, the state education commissioner, said he would consider granting Black, a publishing executive, the waiver she needed to take office only if Bloomberg appointed an educator to help her run the system. Black lacks the education credentials required by state law to be schools chief. In addition, only two of the eight members of an advisory panel Steiner appointed to evaluate Black’s background unconditionally endorsed her bid for a waiver.

ALSO from The New York Times: New York state officials have acknowledged that they did not screen the members of a panel evaluating New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's choice for city schools chancellor. Revelations have surfaced about extensive ties between Bloomberg and members of the panel evaluating his selection of publishing executive Cathie Black as chancellor.

The New York Times: New York State’s top education official has named an advisory panel of eight experts, at least half of them with strong connections to the Bloomberg administration, to help him decide whether to approve Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s controversial choice to run the city’s school system. Three panelists selected by David M. Steiner, the state education commissioner, worked as senior officials at the city’s Department of Education.

EARLIER: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg names publishing executive Cathie Black to replace Joel Klein as schools chancellor.