The following article was selected from the Internet Edition of the Chicago Tribune. To visit the site, point your browser to http://chicagotribune.com/. ----------- Chicago Tribune Article Forwarding---------------- Article forwarded by: Cayata Dixon Return e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Article URL: http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/chicago/article/0,2669,ART-52111,FF.html ---Forwarded article---------------- Vallas defends record, denies rumors he may quit By Michael Martinez A sometimes combative Paul Vallas, chief of the Chicago Public Schools, today defended his record as an administrator and denied rumors he has decided to follow Gery Chico—who resigned last week as school board president—out the door. "I'm not going to make an announcement until the end of the school year," June 12, Vallas said at a luncheon of the City Club of Chicago, where he delivered his annual "State of the Schools" address. Vallas also denied recently resurfaced rumors that he is contemplating a run for governor, saying, "I'm not planning on running for anything." "Look, I can take (the school system) to whatever level it needs to go," he said. "Nobody's going to tell me I don't have it." Vallas said the decision on whether to continue as chief executive officer of the state's largest public school system is a private one he makes every year. Whatever he decides to do, he added, he will tell Mayor Richard Daley, and then let Daley make the announcement. "The point is, I reserve the right to make decisions on the future," Vallas said. "I don't have anything on the side. I don't have a burgeoning consulting business. When it comes to my future, no one is going to push me to (make a decision now)." Vallas defended his academic accomplishments and the financial health of the school system, which last week proposed its seventh consecutive balanced budget. The school board is to vote in June on the $4.38 billion spending plan, which among other things seeks to raise city property taxes by $48.8 million. He also said he would expand to 200 from 125 the number of poorest-performing schools, based on standardized test scores. These schools will face a crackdown on their curriculum and teacher training. Such schools will have their curriculum closely monitored and audited by the central office of the Board of Education, Vallas said. Vallas' remarks came a day after Daley gave his schools CEO a less-than-enthusiastic endorsement. Daley said Vallas can stay in his post if he wants to, but there were "a lot" of qualified people who could replace him. Daley also said he would not try to persuade Vallas to stay if he decides to resign. The mayor was noncommittal when asked directly if he would like to see Vallas stay or go after last week's surprise resignation of Chico. Daley has been frustrated by stalled progress, particularly in reading, among public school students, and he has been critical of what he contends has been a lack of creative thinking by school officials. ---------------------------------------------------- This is the CPS Mathematics Teacher Discussion List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
