Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña made her retirement official at City Hall Thursday, but will remain in her post until a successor is chosen in the coming months.
Joined by Mayor de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray, and city departmental bosses, the veteran educator said she was proud of her four-year tenure and remained optimistic about the country’s largest school system, which administers to more than 1 million kids.
The former city principal said she was especially satisfied with her effort to improve conditions for special education students and English language learners.
Known for her relentless schedule of school visits, Fariña, 74, said she sought to create durable trust with rank-and-file teachers and felt she had been able to do so.
“We have managed to break ground on so many things,” Fariña said Thursday. “The thing I’m proudest of is the fact that we have brought back dignity to teaching, joy to learning, and trust to the system.”
De Blasio — who had coaxed Fariña out of retirement — lavished her with praise Thursday.
“Her list of achievements is extraordinary,” he said of Fariña, who headed de Blasio’s universal pre-K and Renewal programs.