Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Cathie Black Stops in Harlem on First Official Day of School

By DNAinfo Staff on January 3, 2011 10:21am

By Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

WEST HARLEM — Cathie Black made a stop in Harlem Monday to tour the city's best performing charter school as part of a five-borough whirlwind on her first official day as the city's schools chancellor.

Black arrived at Democracy Prep in West Harlem on W. 133rd with a throng of reporters just after 12:30 p.m. as part of a jam-packed day of visits.

After donning one of the school's signature yellow baseball caps, Black sat in on literature, math and Korean classes and was clearly impressed with the civic-minded school, which has a waiting list of thousands, founder and Superintendent Seth Andrew said.

"I'm very pro-charter schools, but I'm pro-all choices and I'm pro-options," Black told reporters. "But we also have to look at the other public schools and make them as best and as good as we possibly can," she said.

"We want to keep trying everything. We want to keep the pedal to the metal," she added.

Single dad Daniel Clark Sr., whose son, Daniel, is in 9th grade at the school, came to tell Black about how Democracy Prep has turned his son's life around.

"I think every child ought to have this opportunity," he said with tears in his eyes.

"Power on chancellor, power on," he told Black as he left.

Black began the day in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, greeting parents, chatting with teachers and defended her qualifications yet again, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg by her side.

"When the Mayor first talked to me, the first words out of his mouth is, 'What I believe we need for the next term is a very strong and effective manager,'" she told reporters in the library of P.S. 262 El Hajj Malik El Shabazz in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

"If that’s what the mayor believes is really important, I’m very happy and excited to have accepted this position," she said.

Dressed in a knee-length gray skirt, matching shirt and black heels, Black seemed at ease with teachers and students throughout the morning, laughing over coffee with staffers and whispering to fourth and fifth graders as she sat in on their reading lessons.

She described the job as "a dream," but acknowledged tough challenged ahead — most notably the city's growing budget deficit.

"Do I think this is going to be easy?" she said. "I have absolutely no qualms about taking on the job. And of course I know it’s not going to be easy. It’s tough out there," she said.

Black has faced sharp opposition since the moment her appointment was announced from parents, teachers and elected officials who criticized her lack of schools experience.

Last week, an Albany Civil Supreme Court judge struck down a challenge seeking to block her appointment on the grounds that she does not have the credentials legally required to be chancellor. The group has been considering an appeal.

But Bloomberg continued to stick closely by his pick, who succeeded Joel Klein.

"I hope that Cathie goes on and people will say Klein was just a prelude to what I hope will be the best chancellor this school system has ever had," he said.

"We’ve come a long ways. We have a long ways still to go. And we’re looking forward to continuing the progress that we have made," he added.

While this is Black's first official day on the job, she has been meeting with officials and visiting schools since her appointment was announced two months ago. She has visited about 20 schools of varying performance levels across the five boroughs so far, and talked with hundreds of parents, principals and teachers, Bloomberg said.

She estimated having spoken with at least a hundred more parents Monday.

Teacher, Stephanie Forcer, a veteran of 15 years, seemed optimistic about Black. 

"I think the majority of the teachers are with her because she wants the best for the children," Forcer said after Black and most of the cameras left her classroom.

Democracy's Andrew agreed.

"We're excited for her to continue her leadership," he said.

Back in November, Black and Bloomberg visited a school in the Bronx, but her visit inside was off-limit to the press.