NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Richard Carranza is stepping down as New York City schools chancellor after a three-year tenure, to take time to grieve the family and friends he has lost to the coronavirus pandemic.
His last day will be March 15.
At the mayor's briefing Friday, Carranza became choked up as he explained his decision to leave.
"I know the pandemic has not been easy for you or any New Yorker," Carranza said. "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."
Carranza called it a bittersweet moment.
"I came to New York City three years ago with a mission to help the Department of Education reach its full potential and, of course, to serve and to lift up all, not just some, but all of our public school children," Carranza said. "It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as your Chancellor and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart."
Carranza said he does not yet know what he will do next.
Mayor Bill de Blasio commended Carranza for making great strides for fairness and equality. He also applauded him for his leadership through the pandemic, citing his work to close the digital divide as the system pivoted to remote learning.
"For three years he's given his heart and soul for the kids of this city and it's been a labor of love. I've worked shoulder to shoulder with him, I've seen it," de Blasio said at his daily briefing Friday. "A lot has happened in these three years to move us forward. This is a school system today with the highest graduation rate in the history of New York City, this is a school system today where academic achievement keeps moving forward, but not just in some place, all across our school system."
The mayor said the city faces a deep challenge to address a pandemic-related achievement gap.
"This is going to be all of our business going forward. Bringing back our schools, bringing back our kids, helping them catch up and then move forward academically, but also addressing and supporting them emotionally," de Blasio said. "That's what a lot of the work will be for the remainder of this school year, but particularly starting in September when we reset the whole equation, we bring everyone back."
Carranza will be replaced by Meisha Porter, who currently serves as the executive superintendent for the Bronx.
Porter will become the first Black woman chancellor of the nation's largest public school system.
She grew up and attended public schools in Queens, served as a teacher and principal for 18 years and then became superintendent of the Bronx’s District 11.
She took over in 2018 as the Bronx’s executive superintendent.
Porter vowed to continue to move the system forward, build more opportunities for schoolkids and 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."
Following the announcement, teachers union President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement on the leadership changes.
"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. We wish him well. He will be missed," Mulgrew said in a statement. "We have successfully partnered with Meisha Ross Porter on projects in the past, including the Bronx Plan and expanding community schools. We look forward to working with her in the future."
While Carranza cited personal reasons for his departure, the New York Times notes that he and the mayor have clashed over the school desegregation policy.
De Blasio said Porter will help the city take the next step in diversifying classrooms and overcoming the barriers of the past.
“We are changing screened schools and more is coming, we are changing the approach to gifted and talented and more is coming,” de Blasio said, noting this is a moment for profound change. "I know Meisha Ross Porter knows both the academic reality of how we bring fairness and opportunity to kids and the question of how we create justice in our society, she knows how to blend those two together."
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow WCBS Newsradio 880
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram