"I am breaking an agreement between adults to honor a pact and an agreement I have with the children of Miami."
That was Alberto Carvalho's surprising statement today at an hours-long emergency meeting of the Miami-Dade County school board that was broadcast live. In it, the city's highly regarded superintendent said he is no longer interested in running New York City's public schools, the nation's largest school system.
Mayor Bill de Blasio had
announced Wednesday
But after facing tearful
community members
An immigrant from Portugal and a former science teacher, Carvalho took over the top position in 2008, when the nation's fourth-largest district was nearly bankrupt. Under his leadership the district has been
nationally recognized,
As a matter of fact, LA, the second-largest district in the country, is looking for a superintendent right now (Carvalho's name was mentioned then, too), and Chicago,
the third largest
And now New York City is back to the drawing board. "Bullet dodged" commented
Eric Phillips, de Blasio's press secretary
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