Drawing fire

If the education piece of the stimulus package is gutted and the financial noose continues to tighten around Chicago and other urban school districts, look for Ron Huberman and the rest of the new breed of business-model school CEOs, to be the axe-wielders, belt-tighteners, testing enforcers, school closers and union-bashers—not education reformers.

Resistance to Daley's pick gathers steam in Chicago’s black community

Tuesday night, an overflow crowd met at Operation PUSH headquarters to plot strategy aimed at forcing Mayor Daley to rescind his selection and launch a national search for a schools chief. It’s just the latest in a recent string of public meetings on education that reflect growing dissatisfaction among community groups with Daley’s management of the system. (Lorraine Forte, Catalyst)

Make no mistake. Ron Huberman is a terrible choice to head the Chicago Public Schools. He not only has no educational experience, but he brings precious little managerial success with him… Under his watch, CTA warned of draconian service cuts that would have crippled businesses and left many workers without a way to their jobs. (Chicago Defender)

“I have nothing against Mr. Huberman, but education is not his forte. The superintendent should be knowledgeable, motivating, competent and experienced. And there are plenty of qualified candidates within the Chicago Public Schools.” (Rev. Jesse Jackson)

From a political prospective, Mayor Daley has chosen to select someone from his inner circle over the needs of a struggling school district. Huberman will need to make some important decisions regarding the fate of nearly two-dozen schools currently on the chopping block. These decisions will enrage many and leave parents asking, "What is next for my child?"(Robert Felton, Austin Weekly News)