Resignation Raises Questions About City's Plan to Help Failing Schools, or Lack Thereof

A lot of people  who care about public education in New York City have been wondering what Chancellor Carmen Fariña is planning to do about the lowest performing schools.

Since taking office in January, Fariña has focused on expanding prekindergarten classes and building her team. She also developed a new rating system for schools that doesn't rely so much on test scores.

But the clock is ticking for about 250 schools that are on a state watch list. The city was supposed to submit its plans in July, but Fariña asked for an extension.

One former deputy chancellor, Eric Nadelstern, said her options are limited. Unlike his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor Bill de Blasio is reluctant to close failing schools except as a last resort.

"Failed schools like failed organizations don’t reinvent themselves," said Nadelstern, now a professor of practice in educational leadership at Teachers College. "It requires a different, not only different leadership but very often the opportunity to push out the old culture and create a new culture."

Boys and Girls High School has been struggling with these issues for years. It was once the pride of Bedford Stuyvesant, with Lena Horne and Aaron Copeland among its distinguished alumni. But last year only 35 percent of its kids graduated on time and its enrollment has plummeted. 

Principal Bernard Gassaway said he quit last week because he couldn't wait any longer for the city to come up with a plan. 

"There was no real collaboration that took place," said Gassaway. "There were promises that were made but promises weren’t kept. The school would suffer in silence. The principal, the leader of the school is supposed to suffer in silence, remain silent while you know that there’s nothing in place to deal with, or to address the challenges that you have."

Boys and Girls and Automotive High School were both labeled "out of time" schools by the state, requiring the city to come up with dramatic intervention strategies. Sources told WNYC that education officials had plans ready last spring, but they were delayed by City Hall because the mayor wanted to make some changes. Mayoral spokesman Wiley Norvell denied this, though, and the Department of Education declined to comment further on its plans.

However, department spokeswoman Devora Kaye said the agency wanted Gassaway out all along. Some insiders agreed he did a poor job of managing the school, which earned three F's in a row during the Bloomberg administration, while others praised him and said he was in a difficult situation, with troubled students and many low quality but tenured teachers.

On Thursday, the chancellor confirmed his replacement: Michael Wiltshire will leave his post at Medger Evers College Preparatory School to lead Boys and Girls.

Gassaway acknowledged he was "public enemy number one" of the teachers union because he tried to remove so many of its members during his five-year tenure. 

Whatever the chancellor decides to do about the failing schools, researchers say it will be extremely difficult. Bringing in a new leader and rallying the troops usually doesn't go very far and there's research that suggests schools need more integration, to avoid concentrating too many high poverty students.