for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com JANUARY 9, 2014 • The queens Courier 7 inauguration Schools Chancellor ushers in ‘new era’ BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com Carmen Fariña started the New Year as the new Schools Chancellor with a bang. Winter storm Hercules gave Farina, 70, her first challenge – to give public school students a snow day or not. Around 4 a.m. on Friday, January 3, the chancellor heeded the storm warnings and called off classes, after-school activities and PSAL sports games for the day. Upon her appointment Monday, December 30, the responsibility to improve New York City schools fell into Fariña’s lap. She is charged with what Mayor Bill de Blasio has called an “ambitious agenda,” including creating 100 new community schools in impoverished neighborhoods, innovating new career and technical education pathways to prepare students for jobs, engage communities, and improve guidance services, art and technology programs in middle schools. “Carmen won’t just be my chancellor as mayor, she’ll be my chancellor as a public school parent,” de Blasio said. “For years, I’ve watched her innovate new ways to reach students, transform troubled schools and fight against wrongheaded policies that hurt our kids.” The Department of Education (DOE) said “it’s a new era in our school system because Chancellor Fariña is bringing joy back to our classrooms.” Fariña has more than four decades of experience in the city’s school system, serving as a teacher at P.S. 29 in Brooklyn, principal at P.S. 6 in Manhattan and superintendent of District 15 in Brooklyn. She most recently worked for the Department of Education as a deputy chancellor before retiring in 2006. “As a lifelong educator, she brings extraordinary instructional expertise,” the DOE said. “Our students and our schools will be served well by the system’s new leader.” Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, called Fariña a “real educator.” “She has a deep knowledge of schools and our system, and is on record criticizing Mayor Bloomberg’s focus on high stakes testing,” he said. “We look forward to working with her to help make sure every child has access to an excellent education.” MAYOR’S MEN & WOMEN de Blasio announces appointments As of press time, Mayor Bill de Blasio has made the following appointments to his administration and city agencies: First Deputy Mayor: Anthony Shorris Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor: Dominic Williams Director of Intergovernmental Affairs: Ema Wolfe NYPD Commissioner: Bill Bratton Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services: Lilliam Barrios-Paoli Budget Director: Dean Fuleihan Commissioner at the Administration for Children’s Services: Gladys Carrión Mayor’s Chief of Staff: Laura Santuci Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development: Alicia Glen Corporation Counsel: Zach Carter Schools Chancellor: Carmen Fariña Transportation Commissioner: Polly Trottenberg President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation: Kyle Kimball Director of Labor Relations: Bob Linn Commissioner of Homeless Services: Gilbert Taylor Special Adviser to the First Deputy Mayor: Stanley Brezenoff Commissioner of the Department of Youth and Community Development: Bill Chong Director of the Office of Operations: Mindy Tarlow Head of Community Affairs Unit: Marco A. Carrión Head of State Legislative Affairs: Sherif Soliman Head of Federal Legislative Affairs: Max Sevillia Senior Advisor: Peter Ragone Press Secretary: Phillip Walzak Deputy Press Secretary: Maibe Ponet First Deputy Press Secretary: Marti Adams Deputy Press Secretary: Wiley Norvell Special Advisor to the Mayor: Rebeca Kirszner Katz Director of Operations for the Press Office: Angela Banks Director of Research and Media Analysis: Mahen Gunaratna Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, with more than four decades of experience in the city’s school system, is “bringing joy back to our classrooms.” Photo Courtesy Brooklyn Media Group
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