GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Changes at the top, week 2:

• Thirteen of 51 City Council members oppose Cathie Black’s appointment as chancellor. (WSJ)
• They include Robert Jackson, chair of the council’s education committee. (Times, NY1)
• Dozens of advocates demonstrated yesterday against Black’s appointment. (NY1, WNYC, Post)
• Mayor Bloomberg won’t be able to make the same arguments for Black as he did for Joel Klein. (Times)
• Little evidence has emerged that Bloomberg spoke to anyone else about the job. (Post)
• Bloomberg didn’t even tell Education Commissioner David Steiner about his pick. (Daily News)
• UFT President Michael Mulgrew says Bloomberg’s secrecy was an abuse of authority. (Daily News)
• Most districts do public superintendent searches; experts say secrecy isn’t needed. (Times)
• Non-educators lead only 5 percent of the country’s 200 largest school systems. (Crain’s NY)
• After some hesitation, Black says she will quit corporate boards if appointed. (Times)
• Friends of Black say she isn’t afraid to do what she thinks is right. (Daily News)
• Black’s school experience is limited to a Catholic, a boarding, and a charter school. (Times)
• Eva Moskowitz says Black should focus first on school choice and middle-class families. (Daily News)
• Klein will likely work on developing online education efforts at News Corp. (NY Mag)
• Joe Nocera muses on Joel Klein’s relationship with the business world. (Times)
• Education Secretary Arne Duncan says he is confident Klein’s legacy will live on. (Daily News)
• Is losing Joel Klein part of Bloomberg’s strategy for running for president in 2012? (Post)

In other news:

• The athletic director at Erasmus Hall HS had a heart attack — on the school’s PA system. (AP)
• Stuyvesant HS is cracking down on off-campus pot-smoking. (Post)
• The city is trying to fire a Harlem principal and assistant principal who had an on-the-job affair. (Post)
• More than 100 teachers and 135 safety agents were added to the city payroll since Sept. 21. (Post)
• The Daily News says the worse-than-known achievement gap merits big changes. (Daily News)
• Some are saying that Newark is already squandering its $100 million Facebook gift. (AP)
• A new plan for reviving Haiti’s schools is based on post-Katrina New Orleans. (Times)