News of Carranza’s departure brings ‘sense of optimism’
to some Queens elected offi cials and education activists
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
After a tumultuous three
years leading the nation’s
largest public school system,
Schools Chancellor Richard
Carranza announced he is
resigning from his post next
month. Some of Queens’ education
advocates and elected
officials have begun reacting
to the news, welcoming new
leadership to the Department of
Education.
On Feb. 26, Carranza said
he’s leaving his position in mid-
March due to the personal toll
the COVID-19 pandemic has
had on him, and to take time to
grieve the 11 family members
and friends he’s lost to the virus.
“This is a bittersweet moment
for me,” said Carranza.
“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 lift up all,
not just some, but all of our public
school children.”
Meisha Porter, who currently
serves as Bronx executive superintendent,
will succeed Carranza.
Porter, a Queens native,
is the first Black woman to hold
the chancellor’s office.
Carranza counts the initial
closing of the public school
system and move to remote
learning in March; distribution
of half a million devices for
remote learning; distribution
of 80 million meals; as well as
school reopenings last fall as
some of his tenure’s successes
during an unprecedented year
of navigating the COVID-19
pandemic.
He said he felt comfortable
finally taking time to process
the impact the virus has taken
on his family now that officials
have “stabilized” the public
school system.
Yet, for many parents, educators
and students, the public
school system — which serves
more than 1.1 million students
— is still far from stabilized
during the ongoing pandemic.
Phil Wong, president of
Community Education Council
24 representing parts of western
and central Queens, said
there is still much to be fixed —
from reopening all schools for
in-person learning to ensuring
all students who live in homeless
shelters have access to the
internet.
“Overall there’s been poor
planning, poor organization
and poor execution,” Wong told
QNS.
But Carranza’s time as the
head of the city’s public school
system was filled with backlash
from some Queens parents and
elected officials, even prior to
the pandemic.
One of the main points of
contention was Carranza’s efforts
to reform both the Specialized
High School Admissions
Test (SHSAT) and Gifted and
Talented program, as part of his
mission to desegregate schools
and bring equity into the city’s
public school system. But that
has been a complex issue to address
in New York City, which
is considered one of the most
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.18 COM | MARCH 5-MARCH 11, 2021
segregated school systems in
the nation.
Reports from The New York
Times suggest arguments between
the chancellor and Mayor
Bill de Blasio over the Gifted
and Talented program may be a
reason behind his departure.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew’s
statement regarding
Carranza’s departure alluded
to possible tensions.
“Richard Carranza was a
real partner in our efforts to
open school safely,” Mulgrew
said. “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.”
Carranza, though, maintains
that his departure is for
personal reasons. In a letter
to the school community, Carranza
wrote he is unsure what
is next for him.
Wong is part of a group of
education advocates who have
staunchly opposed Carranza
and his policies. Most recently,
he’s dismayed by how the city
is administering the Gifted and
Talented program.
“The issue has alienated parents,”
Wong said. “Thousands
signed up, then were told there
would be no test, then were told
there would be a lottery. There
was no clear direction. The
result is parents losing confidence
and they leave for charter
schools, Catholic schools
and even leave the city.”
This year, the city reported
an unusual decline in enrollment
rate of about 43,000 students,
or 4 percent decrease. But
enrollment has been steadily
declining for years for varying
reasons, including declining
birthrates and an increase in
charter school enrollment, according
to Chalkbeat.
Councilman Robert Holden,
Carranza’s most vocal critic in
the City Council, didn’t mince
words following the announcement
of his departure.
“Chancellor Carranza, the
city’s most overpaid non-essential
worker, constantly put his
own political agenda ahead of
our students’ education” Holden
said. “His relentless attacks
on academic standards and
Gifted and Talented opportunities
hurt our public school system.
His resignation is the best
thing to happen to our city’s
students and teachers in a long
time. We need to focus on making
sure our hardest working
students have the opportunities
they earn.”
Adriana Aviles, president of
Community Education Council
26 representing parts of northeast
Queens, told QNS she felt
Queens “was never part of the
conversation” under Carranza.
Aviles points to Carranza
abruptly leaving their town
hall in Bayside last year as the
start of the disconnect.
In the town hall last January
in Bayside, parents were
not only protesting to keep the
SHSATs, but also asking for
answers about troubles at a local
middle school. Aviles said
“he never came back” to the
district, and families were left
“short-sighted in terms of transparency
and communication.”
Now, Aviles said the community
is mostly “excited” to have
someone new in the role.
Porter has an extensive history
with the DOE, from serving
as a teacher and most recently
an administrator. She’ll
be the first person appointed
from within DOE leadership
in recent history to lead the
department.
State Senator Joseph P.
Addabbo, Jr. is also optimistic
about what new leadership may
bring.
“I believe that with every
announcement of a new commissioner
or chancellor being
appointed, it brings a sense of
optimism that the concerns of
my constituents will be heard,”
Addabbo said. “I’m hopeful
that the new chancellor will
acknowledge and act upon the
voices of parents, students,
administrators, teachers and
elected officials as we advocate
for the best education possible
for all our school-aged
residents.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio holds a media availability on COVID-19 with Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza
at City Hall in March 2020. Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
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