AFT’s Weingarten and HFT’s Capo on Appointment of Richard Carranza as New York City Schools Chancellor

HOUSTON—Houston Federation of Teachers President Zeph Capo and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement on the appointment of Houston Independent School District Superintendent Richard Carranza as the new chancellor of New York City schools:

“Houston’s loss is New York City’s gain. Under Superintendent Carranza’s leadership and vision, we collaborated to strengthen and support public education in Houston. Together, we ended the teacher assessment sham that was VAM (value-added measures), and we coordinated to get schools aid and new books in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Richard worked tirelessly to help communities recover and heal, well after the floodwater receded. He was a proud servant of the children of Houston, and, if his track record is any guide, he’ll be a similarly indispensable asset to the children of New York. While we’re sad to see Richard leave Texas, we congratulate him on his appointment and New York City on its wise choice.”