Joel Klein promises to leave in January no matter what
"Controversy is a necessary part of education," Joel Klein said at his last PEP meeting tonight.
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein vowed tonight that he will absolutely leave his position in January — even if efforts to block Mayor Bloomberg’s chosen successor succeed. Klein spoke at a meeting of the Panel for Educational Policy that held few distinctions except for the fact that it will be his last.
“I know it’s been controversial, but controversy is a necessary part of education,” Klein said, reflecting on his eight-plus years as chancellor. “I respect that, and I understand that when you do make changes and look at things differently that it’s going to upset people.”
He added, “I don’t know of any other way to change a system.”
The Panel for Educational Policy is the current incarnation of the city school board, formed in 2002 just as Mayor