As I expected, Bloomberg and Steiner reached a deal and Cathie Black will become the next chancellor. This is great news – while many are questioning this choice and/or the process, had she been rejected, there would have been chaos.

I've never heard of Shael Polakow-Suransky, but I trust Bloomberg, Black and Kleins' judgment, plus based on the attached letter, he sounds great.

The state's education commissioner, David M. Steiner, and the Bloomberg administration have reached a deal that will allow Cathleen P. Black, a media executive, to become the next schools chief.

A top education official in the city's schools system, Shael Polakow-Suransky, the deputy chancellor for performance and accountability, will be named the chief academic officer to serve as the No. 2 to Ms. Black, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement between the state and the city.

In return, Dr. Steiner on Monday will grant Ms. Black a waiver from the state law requiring the chancellor to have certain education credentials that Ms. Black, the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, lacks.

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November 26, 2010, 4:39 pm