With Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina’s impending retirement early next year, elected officials are starting to comment on her legacy.
As you may know, Farina ascended from a teacher, principal and superintendent to deputy chancellor under the Bloomberg administration. Mayor de Blasio asked her to come out of retirement in 2013, which she accepted.
But at 74 years old, Farina announced that she will leave the department in the coming month(s) as the city begins a search for her replacement.
Ridgewood Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, who chairs the Assembly’s Education Committee, called working with the chancellor “one of the joys of my own career in government.”
“Honestly putting the children first, building change with true and lasting foundations, is her true legacy and an inspiration for everyone that has had the privilege of working with her,” Nolan said in a statement. “She has worked to bring ‘equity and excellence’ not as political buzzwords but as a true goal.”
The jury’s still out on Farina’s legacy on New York City schools. Some publications derided her actions as maintaining the status quo, but others were more positive about her work to heal relationships with teachers.
All eyes are now focused on her potential replacements, whether the city will look outward or promote from within. Either way, the future of the city’s 1.1 million public school students are on the line.
Stay tuned.
