Mayor Applauds Supreme Court's Ruling on Cathie Black

Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the State Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to uphold his appointment of Cathie Black as the city's next schools chancellor. Northeast Queens leaders said they were disappointment by the decision, but not surprised.

The court handed down the ruling on Dec. 29, which was nearly a month-and-a-half after the mayor announced that Black was his pick to replace Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.

In a statement, the mayor lauded the court's decision.

"This decision should bring an end to the politicking and grandstanding and allow us to focus on what matters most: continuing to improve the quality of education we offer New York City's public school children," Bloomberg said. "Cathie has been working hard and is ready to hit the ground running on Monday, her first official day on the job, and I know she is looking forward to building on the tremendous progress we've made over the past eight years."

The mayor was required to obtain a waiver for Black, who previously worked as the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines and a publisher for USA Today, from State Education Commissioner David Steiner because she does not have a background in education.

Under a deal worked out between the commissioner and the Bloomberg administration, city Deputy Chancellor for Accountability and Performance Shael Polakow-Suransky will act as senior deputy chancellor to Black.

Northeast Queens leaders said they had not expected the Supreme Court to challenge the mayor's appointment of Black, but that they were still disappointed.

"I thought it was a long shot at best," state Senator-elect Tony Avella said of lawsuits filed challenging Black's credentials. "I find it extremely disappointing that the new chancellor in the biggest school system in the country has no educational experience."

Robert Caloras, president of northeast Queens's Community District Education Council 26, said he did not expect anyone to appeal the court's ruling.

"At this point, I can only wish her the best," said Caloras, who was opposed to Black's appointment. "I hope she seeks some non-DOE [Department of Education] advice, especially from the people who are personally involved and invested in the schools – parents with students, teachers and principals. I hope that will lead her to realize that Joel Klein's reforms have been very destructive to the education process."