NYS Board of Regents appoints Deputy Commissioner John King Jr., charter schools advocate new commissioner of education

NYS Board of Regents appointed Dr. John B. King, Jr. as ,  NYS Education Department Commissioner of Education to replace Dr. David Steiner stepping down in June to return to his former position as Dean of the School of Education at Hunter College."

"I moved back to New York City – both because of the opportunity to create 

better educational opportunities for students in the community where I grew up

 and because the New York State charter law, New York’s rigorous authorizing process, Mayor Bloomberg, and Chancellor Klein had created an educational environment that fosters innovation" King said in 2009. 

Uncommon Schools, where I now serve as a superintendent of a small net work  of charter schools, has as its mission starting and managing urban charter public schools that aim specifically to close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate from college." Testimony of Dr. John B. King, Jr. ,U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor June 4, 2009 Deputy Commissioner,

It's sad and unfortunate, Dr. King lost both of his parents to illnesses before age 12.

He testified at the June 4, 2009 Congressional Committee on Education and Labor, "

I--the son of two career New York City public school educators. My father, who grew up in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn in a family just  a couple of generations removed from slavery, served as a teacher, principal, and eventually Deputy Chancellor over the course of a nearly forty year career with the New York City schools. My mother came to the Bronx from Puerto Rico as a small child with her single mother and was a teacher and guidance counselor in some of the most challenging schools in NYC. My parents provided an extraordinary example for me of dedication to public service.  However, I did not get to know them well because they passed away when I was in elementary and middle school. During that difficult period, fantastic teachers in NYC public schools make a huge difference in my life. My experiences at P.S. 276 and Mark Twain J.H.S. led me to believe 

deeply in the power of public education to transform lives.