Patricia Easley
“Well, if I answer objectively I think that Mr. Huberman has a wealth of experience as an executive, and to have this is going to expand his resume. But as an educator myself, I questioned whether or not his background will really add value to our school system. But I’m open-minded and I’m willing to wait to see.”
Carolyn Hankins-Page
“I think they could have found some perfectly good choices within the school system itself. There are some educators who have the degrees and certificates that it takes to manage the school system. I really do feel that they could have chosen within the school system itself. You say that these people have to be certified, then he needs to be certified as well in that particular arena.”
Louveta Hurt
“The appointment of Ron Huberman as Chicago Public Schools CEO is a slap in the face. I say that because Ron Huberman has no educational experience. He has a degree but he is a manager and not an educator. We need an educational administrator for the CEO of Chicago Public Schools. I have nothing against the man himself. And I don’t think the mayor did us fair or right in appointing a man without any public hearings, especially when you have Barbara Eason-Watkins, a fully-qualified person, to run CPS as it should be. The City Council or whoever has to make votes for this man, I don’t think they should. Everybody should be held accountable as to the mayor’s appointment. We should not attack Huberman but we should attack the mayor because since 1995, the mayor has been calling the shots. This time he’s made a bad one.”
Khalid Johnson
“I think the appointment of Ron Huberman by the mayor of Chicago was a very dangerous and irresponsible appointment. Not because Mr. Huberman is a bad person and is not a good guy, but the half-million kids that are in Chicago public schools need a superintendent/CEO that not only has an educational background but can also be an administrator. The mayor thinks that we can’t find that. This is the third largest school system in the country – the students of Chicago deserve a national search; someone that is qualified to be the CEO of schools, not someone who has been a police officer and has managed our buses and trains. Education is the most pressing civil rights issue of our time, and we need someone that can handle that-not Ron Huberman.”
Demetrice D. Griffin
“I think it is a slap in the face of teachers who go to school and get certified to be prepared in the classroom. To put someone in who is not even qualified is really unfair. And I’m speaking as an educator with 29 years of experience.”
Note: Mayor Daley named Ron Huberman Chicago Public Schools CEO on Jan. 27. A former Chicago police officer, Huberman previously served as president of the Chicago Transit Authority since May 2007. He replaces former school’s chief Arne Duncan, who now serves as Secretary of Education in the Obama administration.
