GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Here’s a reminder of exactly how much can change in a year.

Though Chancellor Joel Klein now says that he told Mayor Bloomberg he would stay through the mayor’s second term and leave in the third, that wasn’t what the public heard at the time.

Nearly a year ago, Klein sat down for an interview with NY1 education reporter Lindsey Christ to talk about what Bloomberg’s third term would bring for the city’s schools. Here’s a snippet of the dialogue:

Christ: Are you planning on staying on for the next four years as chancellor? There’ve been a lot of rumors that you might move on…

Klein: I have no plans. I plan to stay here and be the chancellor. I’ve always said it’s the best job I could ever hope for. Working for this mayor has been a real privilege for me and so long as the mayor would like me to stay and fight for the children of New York, I plan to do so.

Many Department of Education employees have also said that Klein gave them no indication that he planned to leave. And yet a year later and Klein is on his way out. He said goodbye to Department of Education employees last week and when the schools reopen January 3, it will be under Chancellor Cathie Black.