Stay in communication with the health experts. But continue to do the work we’ve been doing. New York City is leading the nation with our staff vaccine mandate, our air purifiers in every classroom, our surveillance system, the work we have done around testing and tracing, in-school vaccination clinics, making vaccines accessible and available.
What would you have liked to tackle if you weren’t so focused on the virus?
My career as an educator has been about focusing on the needs of our most vulnerable populations. I knew coming into this job that was going to be my priority, and that priority was grounded in being in the middle of a pandemic.
What I’m proud of is that I continued to do that work, from the launch of the Mosaic Curriculum to ensure that all of our students see and experience themselves in their curriculum, to the mental health and social-emotional supports that we’ve put in place.
Tell me a bit about your next role.
I’m excited to be the inaugural C.E.O. and president of the Bronx Community Foundation. It’s the first and only community foundation for the Bronx, a community that deserves it. It’s about investing in Bronx neighborhoods, investing in community power to eradicate inequity and build a sustainable future for all Bronxites, with Bronxites.
It’s no secret, I’m a Bronx girl. The majority of my career has been spent in the Bronx. So for me this moment is about coming full circle and bringing my experience having led the system and my experience having led the Bronx to really invest in a community I love and believe in.
Is there anything I didn’t ask you about reopening and your experience as chancellor that you want to mention?
It’s been the greatest honor and privilege to serve New York City at this time. Most people are like, “You must be crazy to come at this moment.” But one of the things that I was able to do was bring every part of me — Meisha the student, Meisha the teacher, Meisha the parent, Meisha the principal — to these decisions. I think that’s something that people appreciated about me, and I’ve really appreciated being able to do.