Chancellor Carmen Fariña: Finally, a NYC Schools Chancellor with Educational Experience

Farina and de Blasio at M.S. 51. Photo: MK Metz

 Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has broken with Mayor Bloomberg's practice of appointing lawyers and magazine publishers to run NYC's Department of Education . . . and appointed a respected educator, Carmen Fariña, as Schools Chancellor.

“Carmen is not only the Chancellor of the school system, but she’s the Chancellor for my child," said de Blasio, whose son Dante attends Brooklyn Tech. "Carmen understands the system, she knows exactly what teachers and parents are going through, and she will deliver progressive change in our schools that lifts up children in every neighborhood. She knows it because she has lived it.” 

Fariña is a legend in Brooklyn, where she spent decades as a teacher at P.S. 29 in Cobble Hill and as a District and Regional administrator.

On Monday she said she would create an easier way for parents to interact with DOE, and promised to bring back arts, social studies and the sciences.

She said she was in for the long haul. “If I take a job, there’s no halfway.”

De Blasio said he would not allow any new school co-location plans for now. He also announced that Ursulina Ramirez, an official on his transition team and a former social worker, would serve as Fariña’s chief of staff.

Stories on the appointment here:

With De Blasio’s pick of Carmen Fariña as Schools Chancellor, parents hope to regain voice in kids’ education [Brooklyn Eagle]

De Blasio Names Veteran NYC Educator Carmen Farina Next Schools Chancellor [NBC]

De Blasio chancellor pick Fariña promises ‘progressive agenda’ [Gotham Schools]


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