Carmen Fariña, NYC Schools Chancellor, To Resign

NEW YORK, NY — Carmen Fariña, the chancellor of New York City's 1.1 million-student public school system, will step down early next year, she announced Thursday.

City officials have launched a nationwide search to replace Fariña, 74, who came out of retirement in 2014 to helm the Department of Education under Mayor Bill de Blasio.

As chancellor, Fariña has overseen the rollout of the mayor's universal pre-kindergarten program, a major achievement of the administration's that will continue to expand in de Blasio's second term. She is known for her frequent on-the-ground school visits and her efforts to improve collaboration among principals.

De Blasio called Fariña "one of the most effective chancellors we’ve ever had," crediting her with the city's record-high graduation rates and consistently improved test scores.

"People felt they were in good hands," de Blasio said Thursday at a City Hall news conference. "They felt there was an educator at the helm who really knew her stuff and really felt their lives, and it really made a difference."

Fariña worked in the city's education system for nearly half a century before de Blasio tapped her to serve as chancellor. She started her career at Cobble Hill, Brooklyn's P.S. 29, where she taught for 22 years before becoming a principal and regional superintendent. She also worked as a deputy schools chancellor for teaching and learning from 2004 to 2006 under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Fariña's resignation comes days after she announced plans to close or merge 19 city schools, including nine in the Renewal Schools program, an initiative de Blasio started to turn around struggling buildings.

She is the third top official in de Blasio's administration to leave at the end of his first term. Two of his deputy mayors, Tony Shorris and Richard Buery, announced their departures in late November.

Police Commissioner James O'Neill, FDNY Commissioner Dan Nigro and Corporation Counsel Zachary Carter will stay on through de Blasio's second term, the mayor said Thursday.

Fariña has replaced more than half of the city's 44 superintendents, who appoint individual school principals and oversee school budgets. She increased the job requirements for superintendents in her first year, forcing them to have at least 10 years of education experience and three years as a principal.

Fariña said she aimed to install superintendents who would better support teachers and principals and foster collaboration among schools, a goal her efforts to have high schools share space also served.

"People did not believe that we would come in and start shifting structures as quick as we did," Fariña said.

Fariña emphasized listening to feedback from teachers and parents on the ground rather than "piles and piles of research." De Blasio noted that she visited dozens of schools while juggling her other duties as chancellor.

"The best information about what works or what doesn’t work comes from when you visit a school," Fariña said.

De Blasio said the next chancellor will have an education background like Fariña's and will be charged with continuing the progress she made. The search for a replacement has been underway for several weeks and will likely finish before Fariña leaves, the mayor said.

(Lead image: New York City schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña speaks to reporters in September 2015. Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)