Incoming NYC school chancellor Meesha Ross Porter became a rising star in the Department of Education despite spending just 1 1/2 years as a teacher, leading some teachers on her ability to run the nation’s largest school system Argued.
A community organizer before joining DOE, Porter helped create the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice in 1997, the first in an urban assembly nonprofit network of more than 20 city schools.
Officials said Porter began teaching English at the school after working as an assistant to Principal David Banks for nearly three years.
But his class tenure ended in February 2003, when he was named assistant principal, officials said.
Six months later, he was promoted to principal after Banks left to launch the Eagle Academy Foundation, a network of all-boys public schools.
“It was a quick ascension, but nobody was better placed to lead that school,” Banks told the Post. “Nobody was more committed, nobody knew more about the school, next to me, than him. It was a place of heart and soul – we were both. “
Unlike other DOE superintendents, Porter never earned a permanent teaching license. At that time, according to the state Department of Education, he did not need anyone to become a school administrator. The state now requires three years of prior teaching experience.
In New York City, teachers cannot become principals for at least seven years of teaching or other instructional jobs, such as a guidance counselor, under rules made by former Chancellor Carmen Farina soon after she took the helm in 2014 .
“The principal should have credibility and credibility, only comes with experience,” Farina said at the time.
Experts agree. “Principals need to be instructional specialists, and I don’t know how to reach that level, typically in under five years,” said David Bloomfield, an academician at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Grad Center.
Porter worked at the same Bronx High School as principal for 10 years. In 2015, Farina appointed his Bronx Superintendent.
“He’s in the right place at the right time, but he’s good,” Banks said. “He is someone who really, really listens to the community and the people are ready for him. He is a great figure.”
Months after Farina succeeded in 2018, Chancellor Richard Caranza created nine new executive superintendent positions, and prepared Porter to oversee all Bronx schools.
Mayor de Blasio named 47-year-old Porter, departing at the same salary with a salary of $ 363,346. It starts on Monday.
“How is he qualified to be vice-chancellor?” The Brooklyn principal, a skeptic, asked. “Under current guidelines, she could not even become a principal, given her lack of experience. She was a super fast track.”
In choosing a new chancellor, Meyer passed with a teaching license along with other superintendents, which included many colors. from them:
• Superintendent Clarence Ellis in District 17 of Brooklyn earned special education as well as permanent certificates in nursery school, kindergarten and grades 1-6.
• Executive Superintendent at Queens South, Mauricier de Govia, holds a permanent certificate in pre-K, kindergarten and grades 1-6.
• Karen Watts, executive superintendent at Brooklyn North, holds a permanent certificate in chemistry and general science, grades 7–12.
But Banks said that former Chancellor Joel Klein, appointed by former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, “didn’t spend even a minute in class. He was a business man.” The state apologized to Klein for working as Chancellor was needed.
“Doe is a $ 32 billion industry responsible for overseeing buses, food and everything else. You’re not a top teacher, you’re running the whole system,” Banks said.
“Meesha has been a wonderful teacher. She cares deeply about children and families. She knows how schools can be improved and the community is prepared to buy. “
The Bronx school where Porter spent 24 years moved to a new, $ 75 million building next to the Bronx criminal court. The students go to the lawyers acting as judges and lawyers. More than a dozen law firms and companies — including News Corp — who own the New York Post, have offered internships, According to insideschools.org.
In 2007, the Porter School received an “F” grade under Klein’s administration for declining scores on state standardized tests in mathematics and English. She vowed to help raise the score – but did not cut arts, foreign languages or the school’s top-notch debate and mock-trial teams that have won championships.
Last year, 82 percent of the school’s 740 students graduated in four years, and 58 percent of Graves had enough scores to enroll in QNY without remedial help, Doe data show.
Eric Nadelstern, a deputy chancellor under Bloomberg, said Porter takes the chance of taking the chancellor’s job just 10 months after Mayor de Blasio stepped down – and faced with his mandate to reopen several schools before the fall .
“The vice-chancellor usually gets accustomed to the situation for more than 10 months. Nadelstern said that ten months could be his full term. “I don’t know many people who would have accepted such a challenging job, and I hope he has the ability to make the most of it.”
Bill Nehardt and Danielle Filson, spokespersons for City Hall and DOE, called the post “racist”, asking questions about Porter’s credibility and work history.
The NY Post’s desperate and racist attempt to curtail his qualifications is disgusting. “He is qualified with 20 years of on-the-ground experience in the school system and we will not entertain these false claims,” he wrote in a statement.
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