Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman has told Mayor Daley that he will leave the system for a private sector job before the end of the school year,
Huberman, who makes $230,000 in his current position, reportedly informed the mayor of his decision in a closed-door meeting shortly after Daley announced that he would not be running for re-election. Huberman denies the account.
"Nothing is imminent," Huberman said Wednesday morning. "I'm committed to the school system."
The school's chief said he's simply keeping his options open for when a new administration comes in to power, and hasn't accepted any offers.
If he does, it's a thorn for Daley, who will have to appoint a temporary schools chief to mind the store while the system looks for a permanent replacement.
Huberman’s potential departure has many worried about what it will mean for CPS' leadership.
Barbara Radner, director of DePaul University’s Center for Urban Education thinks the responsible thing for Huberman is to wait until a new mayor is elected to step down.
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“Unless Superman is showing up, this is going to cause a really complicated situation for the system and the people in it," she told the Sun Times. "It’s going to exacerbate the problems. What he needs to do is stay the course until the next Mayor comes in.”
Complicating the issue is the fact that CPS currently has no chief education officer, the system's No. 2 job. Ever since Barbara Eason-Watkins left to run a district in Michigan City, Indiana there's been a dearth of top leadership.
