Source: PIX11

NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new pick for the Education Department’s chancellor just days after his first choice turned the position down.

Richard Carranza from the Houston Schools District was selected for the job, de Blasio said Monday. Carranza was present at the announcement.

“Richard, in everything he’s done, has been devoted to children,” de Blasio said. “He is an educator’s educator.”

He’s worked in Tucson, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

“I hope to be part of this team that will continue to empower teachers,” Carranza said. “I hope to be part of the solution and the innovation that has started, that is gaining momentum.”

Carranza will take over for Carmen Farina, who announced her retirement in December. He’ll be leading the the country’s largest education system.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in New York City,” Farina said. “I really feel comfortable that I’m leaving the most difficult job – other than the mayor’s – in the most capable hands I can imagine.”

De Blasio had first selected Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, for the job. He declined the position one day later during an emergency school board meeting in Miami.