New superintendent sparks hope for school system reviva
Almost immediately, deep-pocketed education policy groups like The Broad Foundation began reaching out to Vallas to lend support.
"We're interested in making an investment in New Orleans because Vallas is there," Dan Katzir, managing director of the Los Angeles-based group, said flatly. "Ninety days ago we weren't."
And the phones kept on ringing, with prospective staff burning up his line.
"I worked one year in Chicago when he was schools CEO and then he left," said Denise Novak, who went on to become a district librarian in a suburban district. "I heard he was going to New Orleans and I said, 'Holy moley, I want to be a part of his team'.¤.¤. I've never been to New Orleans before, but I'm going to tell you: I'm coming."
"A lot of people really feel an obligation to come down and do their part in the recovery," Vallas said from his Philadelphia office, where he is closing out business before moving permanently to New Orleans next month. "I'm getting more calls than I ever did in Chicago or here."
Pastorek said the Recovery District has received some 150 applications from prospective principals, many of them sent in since the Vallas announcement.
"There is no doubt that the announcement about Paul Vallas has triggered a real positive wave of interest in coming to New Orleans to work and to show that we can be successful," he said.
New superintendent sparks hope for school system revival
Posted by The Times-Picayune May 25, 2007 7:18PM
By Steve Ritea and Darran Simon
Staff writers
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/05/new_superintendent_sparks_hope.html
Sarah Usdin was a public school optimist even before Superintendent Paul Vallas, considered one of the nation's premier educators, agreed to come to New Orleans.
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posted by Whitney Tilson at 4:37 PM
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