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Monday, November 15, 2010

Opposition to Cathleen Black as Schools Chancellor Grows - NYTimes.com

Opposition to Cathleen Black as Schools Chancellor Grows - NYTimes.com

Opposition Growing to Bloomberg’s Pick for Schools Chief

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been frank about why he took pains to keep his search for a new schools chancellor secret, saying he wanted to avoid a public spectacle.

Henny Ray Abrams/Associated Press

Robert Jackson, a City Council member, on Sunday with a copy of a letter he sent to the state education commissioner condemning the choice of Cathleen P. Black. Michael Meyers, director of the New York Civil Rights Coalition, is at left.

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But a spectacle is exactly what Mr. Bloomberg has unleashed, and one week after announcing his choice ofCathleen P. Black, a publishing executive, to succeed Joel I. Klein at the helm of the country’s largest school system, the mayor’s aides are trying to fend off mounting skepticism about her selection.

City Council members are asking the state to deny Ms. Black the waiver she would need to fill the post. Lawmakers and parents active in the schools are calling for public hearings. Even some of the mayor’s supporters are questioning his decision.

The leader of the city’s teachers’ union said the furor underscored how poorly he believed Mr. Bloomberg had