A year of living on the edge for CPS boss Huberman :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

A year of living on the edge for CPS boss Huberman :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education:

"CPS BOSS | Each day, Ron Huberman gears up for 'unprecedented challenges' as he tries to bring a 'culture of calm,' raise performance and rescue system from budget disaster"



Seated among a circle of kids from Julian High School, Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman has become the student.
Dressed in crisp business attire amid jeans and gym shoes, Huberman brainstorms how to bring a "culture of calm" to troubled schools -- part of an anti-violence campaign that has brought him national attention.



"Who's got some ideas?" Huberman asks, pen and note paper at the ready.
By the end of the session, Huberman ticks off a string of student names and, like an A student, shares "what I learned today" from each.
Though he hit the one-year mark last week as CEO of the nation's third-largest school system, 38-year-old Ron Huberman is still doing his homework.
The man Mayor Daley tapped as his chief of staff, head of the Office of Emergency Management and CTA president has already tackled some stiff assignments at the Chicago Public Schools. He's still working on others.
But his toughest tasks may still be ahead, including:
• A looming, record budget deficit of up to $900 million -- nearly twice the size of the hole Huberman plugged last year.
• Talking concession with unions, including furlough days -- at $10