Cathie Black: Everything Klein Did, I Like

Well, now we know EXACTLY what the Cathie Black regime is going to be like.

She plans a full-out assault on teacher tenure and is in "complete alignment" with everything Joel Klein did as chancellor:

Incoming schools chief Cathie Black blasted tenure for teachers in an interview that aired yesterday on Channel 7.

After saying she couldn't imagine running an organization based on the current method of evaluating teachers, she added: "Nor can I imagine at age 25...saying to somebody, 'You have lifetime guarantee for this position. Just show up every day.' It's inconceivable."

Principals can grant tenure to teachers after three years.

Outgoing Chancellor Joel Klein worked unsuccessfully for years to get rid of a provision that allows the least senior teachers to be laid off first.

Black, 66, said she's also against the policy because it could cause the system to lose "younger, newer, fresher ideas."

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew noted that most research shows that teachers with experience are more effective.

"Clearly when they're briefing her, they're not telling her all the facts," he said of Black, who has no experience in education. "Tenure only guarantees due process before they are fired, nobody is promised a job for life."

Black has not yet had a sit-down with leaders of the teachers union, which has been working without a contract for more than a year.

"It's no secret that we had a very, very rocky relationship with [Klein]," said Mulgrew.

"If that's going to be the path she continues, we're going to have to go in that direction. I'm hoping we do not."

That hope may be short-lived.

"I don't see anything that [Klein] has put into place that I would say I don't concur with," said Black. "We're in complete alignment."

Listen, I am not surprised by Black saying she plans on continuing the Klein policies completely.

Bloomberg wouldn't have hired her if she planned to do anything else.

She has been brought in to let people go.

There is no doubt about that

Layoffs with a smile -that's her specialty.

She's laying it all out there.

As for that jive about keeping open to "newer, fresher" ideas about education, here's a fresh idea for her - how about focusing on class size, school resources, and curriculum over test creation, data tracking and school closings?