Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
"We're Ready To Go": Incoming NYC Chancellor Inherits Pandemic-Stricken School System
By
Sophia Chang
and
David Cruz
Published Feb 27, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Department of Education handout
By
Sophia Chang
and
David Cruz
Published Feb 27, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Meisha Porter’s rise as the next New York City Schools Chancellor is being praised by advocates and lawmakers who see the veteran educator, herself a product of local schools with 20 years of experience at the Department of Education, as an on-the-ground leader ready to reopen the nation’s largest school system still reeling from the pandemic.
With just 10 months before the start of a new mayoral administration, Porter inherits a system in which the pandemic inflamed educational inequities, highlighted by remote learning difficulties ranging from lack of technological equipment to connectivity issues to disengagement. She’ll have to grapple with school desegregation issues that have dogged Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza for years, in a sprawling 960,000-student system whose enrollment is 41% Latino, 26% Black, 16% Asian and 15% white.
Most immediately, Porter is tasked with the continued safe reopening of the city’s 1,600 public schools, which de Blasio has vowed would be fully reopened in September, while improving the remote learning experience for students and families still wary about returning for in-person learning. De Blasio points to the low rates shown in random school testing -- 0.58% as of Thursday -- as proof that New York City has "been doing an amazing job" with safe schools, saying "what we did became the gold standard for the entire United States of America" in remarks Wednesday.
Porter was appointed incoming schools chancellor by de Blasio on Friday after Carranza announced his resignation, becoming the first Black woman to hold the post and the third chancellor under de Blasio. At a news conference on Friday, Porter was hailed for her deep New York City roots as a Queens native who devoted her career as an educator in the Bronx. Porter helped establish the Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice, where she served 18 years as a teacher and principal there, followed by three years as Superintendent of District 11 in the east Bronx. Porter's appointment takes effect March 15th.
Porter is on board with de Blasio's reopening goals and will focus on "how we reopened schools fully in September," she said Friday. For now, some schools are open five days a week.
“My advice to Chancellor Porter is, 'do you, be you,'” Carranza told Porter, where he announced he was stepping down to take time to grieve the loss of family members and close friends to COVID-19. “Lead with the heart that you've led in every one of the assignments that you've had in New York City, continue to keep the children at the forefront.”
“She acknowledges straight away [...] that you had these systems in place that benefit some and disenfranchise others,” said Tom Sheppard, a member of the Panel for Educational Policy and a Bronx parent who has known Porter for years. “And she has been an advocate for a long time of really examining these systems, and see what we can do to make them more equitable.”
Over the next two weeks, Porter will finish out her tenure as executive superintendent of schools in the Bronx -- a position that Carranza appointed her to three years ago -- where she is known as a hands-on administrator.
“She knows this [system] inside and out,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who has known Porter for years. “If you look at Carranza—God bless him, we thank him for his service—but the fact is that he came in with a lot of promise, and he wasn't really able to turn the corner because he wasn't from here. And so, cultural experience means a lot, and she brings that to the table.”
Diaz recalled Porter's engagement attending numerous events, including one on Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day this year when he and Porter distributed 1,000 Chromebooks to children. Diaz—once a mayoral candidate before dropping out last year—said getting more devices for remote learning should be a priority for Porter.
"All she wants to make sure that marginalized kids have equal opportunity and equity to excel academically in this school system," Diaz said.
Some parents Gothamist/WNYC spoke with said Carranza's policies often seemed insufficient for New York City's complicated school system, though others agreed with his approach to integration.
"Coming from much smaller school districts, even Houston, I don’t think he understood just how diverse and complex New York City is. It’s not just ethnic, religious or socio-economic diversity. It’s also, how do you make policies that work in very dense urban neighborhoods like Lower Manhattan as well as suburban areas in Staten Island or Queens?" Eileen Gunn, a public school parent in Brooklyn, said. "The Bronx by itself is probably as big or bigger than some city school districts Carranza oversaw. I’m glad to have someone who is from New York City and understands all the nuances and diversity. And I’ve heard Porter is known to be a good administrator, so maybe she’ll do a better job of bringing principals and teachers in on decision making."
Miroslava Sotakova, another public school parent in Brooklyn, said while she's happy to see the gifted and talented test for four-year-olds gone under Carranza, she hopes Porter will advocate in keeping the Specialized High School Admissions Test, which Carranza and de Blasio have said should be eliminated.
Porter’s educational outlook seems to generally line up with Carranza’s priorities, though he was more outspoken on integration than the actual policies implemented in the de Blasio administration. Like Carranza, Porter was opposed to the admission screening process for middle schools, according to former Community Education Council 10 president Marvin Shelton.
Porter does not believe that a ZIP code should determine someone's educational future, and was described by Shelton as"cool-headed" in her advocacy against screens.
"She does have a lot of passion," Shelton said. "She did want to get rid of the screening process for middle schools, and she did not mince words about it. 'I would like to see this gone, and I'm going to try to get it done.'"
The DOE announced in December that they’re removing all selective screens like attendance and grades for middle schools for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Michael Beltzer, a member of CEC 8, said Porter is known to be "hard working for our students and parents as executive superintendent."
"She has a focus on equity, by creating the first borough-wide equity team," Beltzer said. "We believe she will move away from standardized testing and screens and will be watching her next steps very closely.”
Porter's experience with the very schools she’ll oversee was welcomed by school unions, including the United Federation of Teachers union president Michael Mulgrew who said, “We have successfully partnered with Meisha Ross Porter on projects in the past, including the Bronx Plan and expanding community schools. We look forward to working with her in the future.”
Some of Porter's first challenges next month will be deciding how to allow more students to return to in-person learning this semester, as well as reopening high schools, whose buildings have stayed closed in part because teenagers spread the virus more than younger kids.
At the press conference Friday, Porter declared her intentions to "getting the doors open" for high schoolers.
She added, “I promise we'll do everything to reopen schools, starting with high schools -- we're ready to go."
Tagged
Meisha Porter
schools reopening
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Woman whose body was found in Brooklyn garbage can was strangled, medical examiner says
Police hadn't previously ruled the woman's death a homicide, pending the medical examiner ruling.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 12:57 p.m. ET
New York Public Radio CEO steps down after 8 months on job
Chief executive Christy Tanner is resigning after just eight months at the helm. New York Public Radio is the parent organization for WNYC and Gothamist.
By
Liam Quigley
News
New York Public Radio CEO steps down after 8 months on job
Chief executive Christy Tanner is resigning after just eight months at the helm. New York Public Radio is the parent organization for WNYC and Gothamist.
By
Liam Quigley
Early Addition: Can't stop the sticker bombers
By
James Ramsay
Cyclist dies in wrong-way crash with an ambulance on Staten Island
By
Brittany Kriegstein
With election 3 weeks away, Hochul and Blakeman to square off in lone NY governor debate
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .