In a stunning surprise, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pick for schools chancellor backed out Thursday, a day after being named to run the nation’s largest school system.
Alberto Carvalho said he would stay in Miami, where he is schools superintendent.
Mr. Carvalho spent the morning listening to a parade of Miami residents begging him to stay during a meeting streamed live on Thursday.
The decision marks a major embarrassment for Mr. de Blasio, who announced Wednesday night that he named Mr. Carvalho, superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, as his pick to succeed Carmen Fariña after a lengthy search process.
Mr. Carvalho said he broke a commitment to an adult to keep a promise to children. “My heart started beating harder and faster than my mind,” he said.
“I want to thank Mayor de Blasio, I want to thank New York,” he said. “That is once again an open job...one that I would have cherished.”
At first it seemed like Mr. Carvalho was treating the emergency school board meeting in Miami as a farewell tour, as dozens of parents, teachers, students and other leaders heaped praise on his leadership in public.
“He was a Yes for a week+, until he was a No 15 minutes ago,” Mr. Phillips tweeted. “Bullet dodged.”
When Mr. de Blasio announced his choice Wednesday evening after what he called “our extensive national search,” John Schuster, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade school system, confirmed that Mr. Carvalho had been named chancellor but added that Mr. Carvalho “has not yet accepted and will not be making public comments on this matter until he addresses the board he has worked for for 10 years” on Thursday.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/nyc-may...job-1519932189