NYC schools chief steps down

Cathie Black, the leader of the country's largest school system, is stepping down just a few months after being appointed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the mayor announced today.

She will be replaced by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott. The news was first broken by NY1.

Black was dogged by criticism over her lack of experience in the education world, and thousands of people signed a petition seeking to block her appointment in November. She was displaced as president of Hearst magazines before she was tapped for the job, and Bloomberg said she would bring her business acumen to New York's schools.

Yesterday, a fourth senior staff member left the city's education department, causing speculation that her administration was a sinking ship. Not helping endear her to those who believed her unqualified, Black's three-month tenure was also marred by gaffes. She joked that New York schools' chronic overcrowding problem could be solved by "birth control," and she was openly heckled by parents in a meeting about school closings.

A recent Marist poll found she had a dismal 17 percent approval rating in the city.

Bloomberg defended her staunchly from her critics as recently as February, calling the criticism "embarrassing for New York City, for New York State, for America."

(Black and Bloomberg: AP)