Chicago schools chief steps down after 17 months that ended with teacher strike

Original article in The New York Times by Steven Yaccino.

CHICAGO — Just three weeks after a teacher strike here that kept 350,000 children from their classrooms, the head of the city’s public schools system has chosen to step down, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at a news conference on Friday.

Mr. Emanuel said the departure of Jean-Claude Brizard, who had held the position for only 17 months, was a mutual decision amid reports swirling through the news media about Mr. Brizard’s performance and his relationship with the mayor. That talk had become a “distraction,” Mr. Emanuel said.

"He and I talked and agreed that this is the time for new leadership to take us to the next level of achieving what we need to achieve for our children,” the mayor said.

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