Mayor
Bloomberg Appoints Joel Klein As Schools Chancellor
On
July 29th, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the appointment
of Joel I. Klein as New York City Schools Chancellor. Klein
currently is the Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, Inc. Previously,
he was Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department
of Justice’s Antitrust Division, leading the prosecution against
Microsoft. The appointment was recently made official upon the
issuance of a waiver by the State Education Commissioner Richard
P. Mills, necessary because of Klein’s lack of professional
education qualifications.
“As
a product of New York City’s public schools, I owe my teachers
and this City’s schools more than I can ever repay,” Klein said.
Klein does possess some experience in the field of education.
During a leave of absence from law school in 1969, he studied
at New York University’s School of Education and then taught
math to sixth-graders at a public school in Queens until he
was called upon by the U.S. Army Reserves for Basic Training.
While in Washington, Klein served as a member of Mayor Anthony
Williams’ “Kitchen Cabinet,” where they discussed improving
the City’s schools through the Mayor’s plan to take over the
school board.#