Schools chancellor Black steps down

After just three months in office, Cathie Black has stepped down as the New York City schools chancellor. 

In a move quite unlike the third-term mayor, Bloomberg admitted that his controversial appointment of a woman with no previous public education experience — Black's previous position had been at Hearst — had been a mistake. It is rumored that her resignation was strongly encouraged by Bloomberg. Black's successor is deputy mayor Dennis Walcott.

"Cathie Black became chancellor of our school system earlier this year and worked tirelessly to continue to build on our progress," Bloomberg said in a press release. "I have nothing but respect and admiration for her, but we both agree it is in the city's best interest if she steps down as chancellor."

Back in November, Bloomberg's initial argument for Black was her business acumen. She was a manager, he said. The outcry by parents, the United Federation of Teachers and the press in response to the selection of Black was enormous. Being able to manage was not enough to get a grip on the city's many failing schools in a system plagued by budget cuts, her critics said.

Black began work just two months after city school report cards had been released: Forty percent of the city's schools had been graded with a C or below, based primarily on state exams in math and English. Overall student performance had declined under her predecessor Joel Klein, who received a similar backlash upon his appointment as chancellor and remained a controversial figure in the post for nine years.

It's hard to tell whether Black's actions over the course of her short tenure in office will impact the city's public school system. During her appointment she was criticized for increasing funding for testing, which critics said was not a meaningful way of improving student performance. At the very beginning of her term, she made an offhand comment at a meeting about overcrowding with New York assemblyman and speaker Sheldon Silver. She quipped that birth control would lower Manhattan's solution for overcrowding. Parents were not amused, and from there her approval rating fell to just 17 percent, lower than George Bush's approval rating in 2008.

Today, the city said goodbye to Black and hello to her successor. Walcott, unlike Black, attended New York City public schools. While Black did not speak about her appointment immediately after it was announced, Walcott eagerly took questions today at a press conference. The Huffington Post called Walcott, who calls himself "just a guy from Queens," a stark contrast to the former Hearst executive.

Lily Altavena is city/state editor. Email her at cstate@nyunews.com.