Houston superintendent named NYC schools chancellor

After a brief hiccup, the search for the city’s next schools chancellor ended Monday as Richard A. Carranza, the current superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, was named to the post.

Carranza notably reopened Houston schools just two weeks after Hurricane Harvey devastated much of the region last August. Prior to joining HISD in August 2016, he was superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District, which saw historically high graduation rates during his tenure.

Carranza began his education career in Tucson, first as a high school bilingual social studies and music teacher then as principal. He also oversaw 66 schools and more than 66,000 students as a regional superintendent for Las Vegas’ Clark County School District prior to his four years in San Francisco.

“Richard Carranza understands the power of public education to change lives, and he has a proven record of strengthening public schools and lifting up students and families,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “He understands the tremendous work New York City educators do every day to put our children on the path to success. Richard is the right person to lead our school system forward as we build on the progress we’ve made over the past four years and make our vision of equity and excellence for every child a reality.”

Carranza will replace Carmen Fariña, who said her successor is “philosophically on the same page.”

“He has a proven track record as an educator with a laser focus on what’s in the classroom,” she added. “He’s made critical investments in professional development, strengthened the leadership pipeline for principals and has immersed himself in the community to empower families. Every step of his career, he’s focused on equality for all, not just some.”

“As the son of blue collar workers and a lifetime educator, it is an honor to serve New York City’s 1.1 million children as schools chancellor,” Carranza said. “I will work every day to further the progress Chancellor Fariña has made in strengthening our public schools for generations to come.”

Carranza was appointed just four days after Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, accepted then turned down the position held by Fariña since 2014.