NEW YORK
Although she resigned before it even opened, Debbie Almontaser says she is still the person best suited to oversee the city’s first Arabic-themed public school.
She wants to reclaim her job as principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which she left this summer amid a furor over an interview she had given. But city education officials said she would not get the job back.
“In August, Ms. Almontaser said she resigned as principal … to protect the stability of the school and give it ‘the full opportunity to flourish,'” Department of Education spokesman David Cantor said Tuesday in a statement. “Chancellor (Joel Klein) agreed with her decision, accepted her resignation, and now considers the matter closed.”
Almontaser does not. She said Tuesday she planned to reapply for the job.
“As … the person who envisioned the school, I believe I am the person most qualified to be its educational leader,” she said in her first public comments since resigning.
The academy, named for the Lebanese Christian poet and peace advocate, has a focus on Arabic and Arab culture. Protests arose almost immediately after education officials announced plans in February to open it.
