1,501 reasons we’re thankful for longtime reporter Geoff Decker, whose last day is today

Chalkbeat has a lot to be thankful for this holiday, including four and a half years of journalism from senior reporter Geoff Decker.

A quick recap: A 2011 interview with Matt Damon. Teacher evaluations. Analyses of political donors with education ties. A look inside the UFT’s troubled charter school in 2012. A deep dive into charter-school suspensions. More teacher evaluations. Answers to why special education students in the Bronx have more trouble than other students getting the services they need. (And about 1,150 other stories!)

After this week, Geoff is on to his next adventure. He’ll be joining a new venture trying to improve teaching quality in higher education — so he won’t be too far from the issues he covered here with us.

We’re going to miss him dearly here on the New York City education beat. There aren’t many people with Geoff’s passion for educational equity and who are as fun to work with.

Longtime readers, sources, and friends, if you’re interested in joining us for a send-off event, shoot me an email at sdarville at chalkbeat.org. (We’re also hiring to fill his shoes! More information here.)