Mayor Bloomberg Appoints Joel Klein As Schools Chancellor

On July 29th, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the appointment of Joel I. Klein as New York City Schools Chancellor. Klein currently is the Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, Inc. Previously, he was Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, leading the prosecution against Microsoft. The appointment was recently made official upon the issuance of a waiver by the State Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills, necessary because of Klein’s lack of professional education qualifications.

“As a product of New York City’s public schools, I owe my teachers and this City’s schools more than I can ever repay,” Klein said. Klein does possess some experience in the field of education. During a leave of absence from law school in 1969, he studied at New York University’s School of Education and then taught math to sixth-graders at a public school in Queens until he was called upon by the U.S. Army Reserves for Basic Training. While in Washington, Klein served as a member of Mayor Anthony Williams’ “Kitchen Cabinet,” where they discussed improving the City’s schools through the Mayor’s plan to take over the school board.#