NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – New York City schools Chancellor Richard Carranza will step down next month, officials announced Friday.
Carranza has led the city Department of Education for three years, overseeing 1.1 million students in over 1,800 schools.
Bronx Executive Superintendent Meisha Porter will replace Carranza as schools chancellor on March 15. She will be the first Black woman to lead the school system.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the news at a Friday briefing in which he was joined by Carranza.
"Over these three years, Richard Carranza has kept us moving forward. Strong academic performance, great strides for fairness and equality. He's proven that we can and must do both," de Blasio said.
The change in leadership comes as the DOE continues to grapple with challenges posed by the pandemic. Many students are still learning remotely, but de Blasio said this week that he's “adamant” that public schools “fully open” in September.
The mayor applauded Carranza for leading the department through the pandemic and "closing the digital divide" among students.
While Carranza cited personal reasons for his departure, the New York Times reports that his resignation comes amid disagreements with de Blasio over school desegregation policy.
Carranza and de Blasio had a heated discussion earlier this month over gifted and talented classes, sources told the Times. The conversation reportedly led Carranza to draft a resignation letter.
Carranza briefly held back tears as he announced the pandemic’s personal toll on his family, saying he has lost nearly a dozen loved ones over the past year.
"I know the pandemic has not been easy for you or any New Yorker," Carranza said, addressing his DOE colleagues at the mayor's briefing. "Make no mistake I am a New Yorker, while not by birth, by choice. A New Yorker who has lost 11 family and close childhood friends to this pandemic. And a New Yorker who, quite frankly, needs to take time to grieve. I feel that I can take that time now, because of the place we are in and the work we have done together."
"We have created safe learning environments for the children of essential workers, We've delivered over half a million devices for remote learning. We've served 80 million meals to New Yorkers and reopened nearly all of our schools ahead of every other school system in America," Carranza said. "We have stabilized the system in a way that no one thought possible. The light, my fellow New Yorkers, is truly at the end of the tunnel, and I can't think of anyone who would be better to lead this work and take up this mantle and serve New York City's children as the next New York City schools chancellor than Meisha Ross Porter."
"Chancellor Carranza and the mayor have laid an incredible foundation," Porter said at the briefing. "The cabinet at the central office are raring and ready to go. I pledge to our students, our young people, I'm indebted to you as a leader, a teacher, a principal, and I promise we'll do everything to reopen schools."
Porter said "every child deserves a rigorous, high quality education where they see themselves in the curriculum every single day." She said the department will work to support the social and emotional needs of students as schools reopen.
"We're going to build up communities together and we're going to bring people together to serve students," Porter said. "I'm ready to get to work. I'm so honored to serve in this role."
In a statement, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said, “Richard Carranza was a real partner in our efforts to open school safely.”
“Too often he had to fight behind the scenes to keep the needs of students, staff and their families ahead of politics,” Mulgrew said. “We wish him well. He will be missed.”
“We have successfully partnered with Meisha Ross Porter on projects in the past, including the Bronx Plan and expanding community schools,” Mulgrew continued. “We look forward to working with her in the future.”