The new NYC school chancellor Cathie Black has already put her foot in her mouth. At a meeting discussing the issue of schools overcrowding, Black felt comfy enough to joke about a serious issue. “Could we have some birth control for a while? It could really help us all out a lot.” Hardy Har. Before you say “what’s wrong with that?” think about it for a minute. For someone at the top of the administration of the public school system in NYC to make light of this issue is concerning. To even prescribe birth control so she and her top administrators wont have to “deal” with overcrowding shows massive contempt for the population she is supposed to serve. Not to mention that the comment has racially charged undertones, since birth control is encouraged for certain populations more than others. It’s a loaded “solution” and comes from a vantage point of privilege, dictating who and who should not have children.
Not only is Cathie Black unqualified to be chancellor, she is also insensitive to the very real issues that face those in New York City public schools. Every parent should feel insulted, and see her “apology” as insufficient. Two weeks in the position, and you make these kind of statements? Not.. “well maybe we should build more schools” but an inappropriate quip at the expense of the parents of children in public school. This is what cronyism allows.
Marc- Excellent work writing this! And moreover, you hit every point with great emphasis. It is incredible what these “highly educated” people will say & do. Her remarks were not only inappropriate, but ethically irresponsible.
Thanks! cj
Thanks Christy! I felt compelled to pen this after I heard about this insult. Notice how the media is silent for the most part and “all is forgiven” is the message that is put out there. This is a shameful remark, point blank.
@christy jackson: just a small quibble about your comment. You likened Cathie Black to a “highly educated” person. She is not, by most standards, “highly educated” – she holds a Bachelors degree from a small private college. I have not seen her college transcript, and only know of bits of it that were reported in the press – it does not appear that she followed a liberal arts core curriculum, and seems to have taken a lot of divinity and theology courses. She does not possess a masters degree, which is a requirement for all permanently certified teachers in NYS. I imagine that what you might have meant was “highly privileged” or “highly connected.” That being said, when are we going to get rid of this sham and her mentor, Bloomberg?
@ J- Thanks for setting the record straight on Cathie Black. She sure is “highly privileged”
@Marc: I just checked back in on this page tonight – I just wanted to share my frustrating that the FDNY and NYPD have not, until now, begun to indicate any support for the UFT. Now that Bloomberg is taking aim and their pensions, they find themselves in need of more allies. But I do hope that the unrelenting backlash on Black stirs some change – now that Mubarak has refused to step down in Egypt, I see even more clearly the parallels between Hosni and Mike. For the record, *I* am a “highly educated” person, and I take issue with Cathie Black’s educational background being anywhere near-equated with mine! To reiterate what your post was originally about – CATHIE BLACK MUST GO. And let’s throw in Bloomberg and Quinn for good measure, plus the 8 mayoral appointees to PEP!
@J: It looks like the teachers are pretty much being hung out to dry. To my knowledge. not even the other major NYC Unions like DC 37 and 1199 have not come to their defense. I hope the controversy over Cathie Black does not go away. Everytime there is a press around Ms. Black, she proves that she is unqualified. As for Bloombarak, we will have to deal with him for the time being. It is what it is.
Cathie is out and next to go should be Bloomberg. As a teacher with over 30 years experience, I can say I’m 100% sure that Bloomberg and the DOE (Dopes Of Education) should immediately be ousted. We need to bring back real education and stop needless child experimentation. Also we need to stop closing schools and simply fix the existing schools. To do that taxpayers (all of you reading this) must stop being forced to pay billions of dollars for non-existant education that is just NOT working. The truth is that I’m 1,000 times more qualified than Cathie Black ever will be.
Good points, A1A
Almost anyone is more qualified than Cathie Black (except Bloomberg)!
Pretty much!