School official quits after one year, turns to anti-hate efforts

New York City’s top education official in charge of the school system’s leadership is calling it quits after a year.

Deputy Chancellor Desmond Blackburn — whose position was created for him by city Schools Chancellor David Banks — will step down next month to head an education nonprofit that provides curriculum and resources on racism and antisemitism.

Blackburn oversaw a major bureaucratic reshuffling that made all 45 district superintendents reapply for their jobs.

“Dr. Blackburn is the kind of leader who leaves a lasting impact in every space he’s in,” said Banks in a statement. “He has been instrumental in developing our team of school leaders and empowering superintendents to be community leaders.”

Blackburn will become president and CEO of Facing History and Ourselves, which provides resources and professional development in social studies and English language arts.

“The work they do, they bring powerful professional learning to teachers across the nation that works to address some of the crucial topics of our time, both around history and our current events,” Blackburn said of his new position.

During his short tenure, Blackburn spearheaded Banks’ plan to give local superintendents more independence over their districts, and encourage families to use them as a first line of defense when escalating issues beyond the school level.

The idea was to solicit parent and school feedback into picking education bosses, though some communities pushed back when their beloved incumbents were not chosen.

“There was also a hard pivot into investing time and energy into the way we train superintendents, the way we provide ongoing coaching and professional development. That didn’t get as much fanfare, but I would argue those pieces are probably more important,” Blackburn said.

Blackburn is the former chief executive officer of another education nonprofit, the New Teacher Center, and an ex-superintendent for Brevard Public Schools in Florida.

“The New York City Public Schools is lucky to have benefited from his brilliance, and we wish him nothing but continued success in his next role in ensuring that all American students are deeply [connected] to our collective history,” said Banks.