Pat Quinn's Running Mate
From the Wall Street Journal
Paul Vallas was probably on his way out as schools superintendent in Bridgeport, Conn. But Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is trying to make sure that the Chicago native lands on his feet. Last week Mr. Quinn, who is up for re-election next year, picked Mr. Vallas as his running mate.
Mr. Vallas has spent nearly two decades at the helm of failing urban school districts in Chicago (1995-2001), Philadelphia (2002-2007) and New Orleans (2007-2011), where he initiated turnarounds by expanding charters and increasing teacher accountability. In 2011, a state-appointed school board for Bridgeport selected Mr. Vallas to nurse the district, which was running a $12 million deficit, back to health. Months later, the board was disbanded by the state Supreme Court, and some of its union-friendly former members were reinstated.
Meantime, a couple of city residents backed by the unions sued to remove Mr. Vallas on the grounds that he lacks the required credentials for the job under state law. A superior court ruled against Mr. Vallas over the summer, and the state Supreme Court was expected to issue a final decision this fall.
But if Mr. Vallas wasn't dumped by the courts, he likely would have been shown the door by the city's new school board. Unions gained a controlling interest on the board last week after campaigning heavily this fall for candidates committed to ousting Mr. Vallas.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Wall Street Journal
Paul Vallas was probably on his way out as schools superintendent in Bridgeport, Conn. But Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is trying to make sure that the Chicago native lands on his feet. Last week Mr. Quinn, who is up for re-election next year, picked Mr. Vallas as his running mate.
Mr. Vallas has spent nearly two decades at the helm of failing urban school districts in Chicago (1995-2001), Philadelphia (2002-2007) and New Orleans (2007-2011), where he initiated turnarounds by expanding charters and increasing teacher accountability. In 2011, a state-appointed school board for Bridgeport selected Mr. Vallas to nurse the district, which was running a $12 million deficit, back to health. Months later, the board was disbanded by the state Supreme Court, and some of its union-friendly former members were reinstated.
Meantime, a couple of city residents backed by the unions sued to remove Mr. Vallas on the grounds that he lacks the required credentials for the job under state law. A superior court ruled against Mr. Vallas over the summer, and the state Supreme Court was expected to issue a final decision this fall.
But if Mr. Vallas wasn't dumped by the courts, he likely would have been shown the door by the city's new school board. Unions gained a controlling interest on the board last week after campaigning heavily this fall for candidates committed to ousting Mr. Vallas.
Read more in our daily News Update...