The New York City Department of Education announced that Natalie Ravitz, the department’s communications director, is leaving on Feb. 10. Ms. Ravitz, who was appointed by the former chancellor, Joel I. Klein, is going to be the chief of staff to Rupert Murdoch, for whom Mr. Klein now works.

The city and the teachers union remain in a stalemate over a system to evaluate teachers in the city’s struggling schools. While state officials say there’s still time for them to reverse their decision, $60 million in federal aid to those schools remains on hold.

Former school teachers and principals, political aides and the spokeswoman for two Congressional leaders are among the people in Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott’s cabinet.