An inconvenient departure

Unprofessional

Regarding “Carranza stuns HISD, accepts job leading NYC schools” (Page A1, Tuesday), there is a name for someone who commits to a big job and leads all his subordinates in a necessarily complicated and difficult direction then quits. In teaching, this is called unprofessional.

Accepting a job as the superintendent of a large school district such as the Houston Independent School District includes accepting the responsibility to effect improvements and changes over the time reasonably expected as necessary to show progress and improvement. In Richard Carranza’s case, we see the man seeking other employment while his proposals and the thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of students they affect are just beginning to move into the implementation of the multi-year “Carranza answer!”

This is not the action of a responsible education professional. The professional appears to be the superintendent of MiamiDade County Schools who chose not to leave his job midyear, thus throwing the job Carranza’s way. For Carranza, this selfish episode is absolutely, totally unprofessional! Bart Busker, Houston

Challenges ahead

The headlines should have read “Budget deficit scares off Carranza to NYC.” Obviously the challenges of a budget deficit and the potential state takeover of certain schools were too daunting for Carranza, so he jumped at the opportunity to change school districts.

His new position in New York City is basically a lateral move because his base salary will be the same, but his cost of living in New York City will actually mean he will be earning less, and he will be assuming the responsibilities of this country’s largest school district.

And Carranza was New York’s second choice. So, good luck to him. He’s probably going to need it. Robert M. Louie, Houston

Hopping around

What does it say about the HISD superintendent leaving for a post in New York City at the same salary when he will have more than three times the students to handle? Questionable judgment as to a much higher cost of living and a much more volatile environment of teacher unions and school board.

Perhaps school leaders here have learned to more thoroughly screen the next candidate rather than have an opportunist job hopping all over our country.

Carranza’s next move? Kitty Russell, Houston