School & District Management News in Brief

Transit Chief to Run Chicago Schools

By Catherine Gewertz & The Associated Press — February 03, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley last week named Ron Huberman, the president of the city’s transit authority, as the new chief executive officer of the nation’s third-largest school district.

The 37-year-old takes over from Arne Duncan, who left the city to serve as U.S. secretary of education in the Obama administration. (“To Duncan, Incentives a Priority,” this issue.)

Mayor Richard M. Daley, center, announces that Ron Huberman, left, will replace U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, right, as Chicago’s schools chief.

Some activists objected to the selection of Mr. Huberman because he has no experience as an educator. He has led the Chicago Transit Authority since 2007. For the two years before that, he served as Mr. Daley’s chief of staff. Earlier, he was the director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. He also spent nine years in the city’s police department.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the civil rights leader and a Chicago resident, said Chief Education Officer Barbara J. Eason-Watkins, a veteran teacher, principal, and administrator, would have been a wiser choice to run the 408,000-student district. Mr. Duncan had reportedly recommended that she succeed him. Ms. Eason-Watkins said in a statement that she would remain in her job.

Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart told the Chicago Tribune that she would have preferred that an educator be appointed. But she said in a statement that she was eager to discuss school improvement with Mr. Huberman.

At a Jan. 27 news conference, Mayor Daley defended his choice, saying the district was run by educators when he assumed control in 1995 and had “repeatedly failed” Chicago’s children.

A version of this article appeared in the February 04, 2009 edition of Education Week

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management The Eclipse Is Great for Learning. But It's Tough on School Logistics
A total solar eclipse will cross a large swath of the country on April 8, sparking tough management choices for leaders of the districts in its path.
5 min read
A woman and stands outside with her arm on the back of a boy as they look up at the sky while wearing special paper glasses made for viewing a solar eclipse.
Jackie Johnson and her son Bradley Johnson, 9, watch a partial solar eclipse at the Frost Science Museum on Oct. 14, 2023, in downtown Miami. In 2024, some districts are planning to delay or cancel school on the day of a total eclipse, out of safety concerns.
Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP
School & District Management Opinion A Good Principal Knows When It's Time to Leave
I didn’t leave my job because of burnout; I stepped away from being a school leader because it was in everybody’s best interest.
Matthew Ebert
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of someone handing off a baton to someone else over a completed puzzle.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Principals Tell Politicians on Capitol Hill: We’re Burning Out
Students' mental health top principals' growing list of concerns.
6 min read
People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022.
Visitors walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington on June 9, 2022.
Patrick Semansky/AP
School & District Management Women Superintendents Experience Bias on the Climb to Leadership
Interpersonal slights and inequities make it hard for women to land the job and stay in it.
3 min read
Woman stands in front of a staircase in different colors. She is about to walk up the stairs. Concept of standing in front of a challenge and finding the right solution and courage to move on.
mikkelwilliam/E+