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Openly Gay Chicago Public Schools Chief Ron Huberman to Resign

Openly gay Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Ron Huberman has announced his resignation effective November 29, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Despite an ambitious agenda, Huberman will leave the $230,000-a-year job before many of his signature initiatives — including a $40 million anti-violence project — are fully realized. Mayoral spokeswoman Jodi Kawada said Daley will announce a replacement for Huberman before the superintendent's last day. Kawada said the mayor did not press Huberman to move up his resignation date. "Ron expressed to the mayor his desire not to work for another administration, and they discussed an appropriate time for Ron to step down."

In his brief tenure in charge of the nation's third-largest school district, Huberman has faced sweeping problems, from a massive budget crunch to highly publicized street violence that continues to claim the lives of Chicago students. A former police officer with a master of business administration degree from the University of Chicago, Huberman approached these problems analytically, harnessing reams of data to evaluate teacher performance and to attempt to predict which students are most likely to be victims of violence.

Huberman did not return a call seeking comment. But in an e-mail Wednesday to district employees, he said he informed the mayor last week of his resignation. He also thanked teachers and administrators for their work, and said no job had been "more fulfilling" in his 16 years of public service.

Despite closing a billion dollar deficit, Huberman's data-driven management style was criticized by teachers and educators. LGBT youth activists and some openly gay and lesbian high school students also criticized the openly gay schools chief for failing to address anti-gay bullying and harassment.

Huberman was appointed in early 2009 after Arne Duncan was named Secretary of Education by President Obama. Huberman publicly came out in a Sun-Times profile around that time.

"A CPS news release said Wednesday that Huberman, 38, 'wants to spend more time with his family before beginning a new career endeavor'," adds the Sun-Times. "Huberman and his partner, Darren DeJong, are raising a son, Aiden DeJong Huberman, born in July 2009."

Chicago LGBT Students Crash Event, Demand CPS Grievance Process

Chicago LGBT student activists escalate their campaign to obtain a formal grievance process for Chicago Public Schools students. Activists with GenderJUST targeted openly gay CPS CEO Ron Huberman at a May 13 fundraiser, reports Chicago Pride.com. 

"[A]bout 20 young LGBT activists intercepted Huberman as he made his way to a fundraiser, where he receives a Peace in Education award. The group surrounded Huberman before he entered the building and protested for roughly 10 minutes. According to Sam Finkelstein, Gender JUST members don't believe that Huberman has done anything to make schools safe for students, such as addressing violence. Finkelstein said, "It's bigger than just LGBT stuff. Students are literally being killed."

The Windy City Times adds: "According to [Finkelstein], Arne Duncan, the previous CEO, had also been offered a similar award but had turned it down, saying that he could not accept it in good conscience when CPS students were facing high rates of violence. Finkelstein said that recent research by GLSEN showed that 80 percent of LGBTQ students experienced some form of violence, whether physical or verbal."

Students have lobbied CPS for more than a year to develop a formal complaint process against faculty and staff accused of harassment and bias. CPS blames the current budget crisis but activists fear "outside pressures" from anti-gay right wing groups have made Huberman very cautious.

Meanwhile: At the same time Chicago schools face a $600 million shortfall and "up to 2,700 teachers and 300 non-teaching union members could be out of a job if class sizes rise from an average of 30 to 35" ... the CEO is doing quite well for himself.  Huberman and his partner just purchased a $900,000 , 5-bedroom vintage Victorian house on the North Side.

Chicago LGBT Youth Protest Harassment by School Teachers

There's an interesting local story developing on bullying and harassment of LGBT youth in Chicago Public Schools. The bullies: Teachers. To complicate matters, the openly gay schools chief has been described as not taking the issue "seriously."

District policy prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation but many students want a formal complaint process against faculty and staff accused of harassment and bias. Last Tuesday, LGBT students and activists with Gender JUST rallied outside CPS headquarters, reports ChicagoPride.com.

"Brian, a recent graduate, said that when he stood up for himself in class after being ridiculed for being gay by a teacher, he was suspended, but the teacher was not punished. 'There was no repercussions on her part,' he said. 'It went on my report and she got off scot-free.' A 2007 graduate of Roosevelt High School, who identifies as a lesbian with a disability, also shared her experience with her peers. 'They (faculty) discouraged me and pushed me away,' she said. 'I wish we had ways to speak up. We need to give students a voice when they face oppression in the school system.'"

More photos of the protest and the student activists—it's an incredibly diverse group—are HERE.

Co-founder Sam Finkelstein says after several meeting there is still no action. CPS blames the current budget crisis but activists fear "outside pressures from right wing groups like Illinois Family Institute" have made openly gay CPS CEO Ron Huberman very cautious. Says Finkelstein: "We don't think they are taking us too seriously. Especially in the context of these budget cuts, it's even more important to address these issues."

Huberman was appointed in early 2009 after Arne Duncan was named Secretary of Education by President Obama. Huberman publicly came out in a Sun-Times profile around that time.

These are just the latest reports of Chicago-area teachers using homophobic language and/or harassing gay students. Last October, a teacher in far-suburban Geneva was reprimanded after ranting against "black fags" during a lesson on public arts funding.