Superintendent Peter Gorman, who made Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools a national model for data-driven school reform, is leaving and a deeply divided community must decide whether his vision is right for Charlotte.

In an announcement that caught almost everyone by surprise Wednesday, Gorman said he's accepted an executive offer from the newly created education division of News Corp., media mogul Rupert Murdoch's company. As word spread, some lamented while others cheered, saying the changes that earned him kudos have driven down teacher morale and burdened kids with too much testing.

"I'm really, really disappointed because we had a great leader and great progress in the most important mission, which is the development of our babies," said Cathy Bessant, a Bank of America executive who co-chaired a 2005 task force seeking changes in CMS. "And continuity would serve that much better than change."

"My phone has lit up like a Christmas tree with people who are shouting with glee: teachers, principals, students, some community folks," said Judy Kidd, a CMS teacher who leads the Classroom Teachers Association.

Gorman's departure forces the community to decide whether to continue his vision of school improvement - a vision driven by testing, data and frequent shakeups at schools - or chart a new path.

He will remain in Charlotte and start his new job Aug. 15. The school board will meet next week to begin planning for an interim leader and a national search.

"I'm so proud of all the work the whole team has done for the past five years," Gorman told the board.

But he said he couldn't resist the chance to be part of a new venture, working for former New York schools chancellor Joel Klein to develop technology for students and teachers.

Klein, who recruited Gorman, said Gorman has made CMS a national model.

"I think he's spectacular," Klein said. "He understands teaching and learning at a very deep level."

The search for Gorman's replacement is likely to coincide with a school board campaign that will bring at least two new members to the nine-person board. At-large member Trent Merchant said Wednesday he won't seek re-election, a decision colleague Joe White had already made.

Board chair Eric Davis praised Gorman's "willingness to challenge the status quo and inertia in education," and voiced hope that the board would hold to reforms that have created academic gains.

Gorman was hired from Tustin, Calif., in the summer of 2006, at a time when public confidence in CMS was at crisis levels. His personable style and businesslike approach to schools quickly won the acclaim of business and political leaders.

"We are grateful for the strong leadership that Pete Gorman has provided to CMS and our community these past five years," Chamber President Bob Morgan said. "From our visits to places like Chicago, Austin and Boston we know that he is considered the leading public school reform superintendent in America. We encourage the board of education to seek a replacement who will take the same business-minded approach to the running of our schools and who can continue on the path of public school reform."

Bill Anderson, a former CMS administrator who heads the nonprofit advocacy group MeckEd, said Gorman's accomplishments have been especially noteworthy in light of three years of budget cuts: "It hasn't been without pain, but it's been very impressive."

But Gorman has also sparked harsh criticism for his decision to close schools in mostly black neighborhoods, for his push to create new tests for evaluating faculty and for the budget-driven layoffs of hundreds of teachers. He has reassigned or replaced most of the district's principals and pushed teachers to be more attentive to what test scores can tell them about student learning.

NAACP President Kojo Nantambu said Gorman caused confusion and conflict, describing him as "another tool for the powers that be" in the corporate community.

"I feel like he's never really worked for the people of Charlotte, for the community, for the children," Nantambu said. Gorman's departure "might be a blessing for Charlotte." Doug Swaim, a CMS parent who helped lead a push for money to save teacher jobs, called Gorman's departure a loss but not a shock.

"I'm a supporter. I think Gorman's departure will be big loss for CMS and the county," Swaim said. But "he has lost the trust of some key constituencies.

"Some of that is the headwinds any reformer will face, but he also made some missteps on school closings and pay for performance. He's probably better suited for the private sector."

For the past two years, CMS has been a finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education, designed to recognize school districts making gains with minority and low-income students. Those students trail white and middle-class peers on test scores and graduation rates in CMS, as they do almost everywhere.

But they have made gains during Gorman's five years. CMS' minority and low-income students now outperform counterparts in Wake County and statewide; five years ago they trailed by large margins. They also do better than counterparts in several other big cities around the country, as measured by national reading and math exams.

Initiatives that have drawn national attention include Gorman's "strategic staffing" plan, which sends top principals to take over low-performing, high-poverty schools and offering bonuses to strong teachers willing to work there. So far results have been inconclusive, but national media and think tanks have hailed the plan as a promising option.

Most recently, Gorman's push toward performance pay has fueled local controversy, even as national leaders such as U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and education philanthropist Bill Gates say that's the right path to follow. CMS rolled out 52 new exams this spring, leading many parents and teachers to protest what they see as over-testing of even the youngest students.

During his comments to the board, Gorman said he wished he had handled that issue differently, the only regret he voiced.

Rumors of Gorman's departure have floated for a couple of years, as he has visited Duncan in Washington and landed on lists of search firms seeking leaders for some of the country's largest districts. Gorman repeatedly said he plans to stay in Charlotte - something the new job allows him to do.

"Take good care of my daughter, who will continue to be a student in CMS," he told the board before leaving to talk to principals.

News Corp. was founded by media mogul Murdoch, who recently gave a speech describing how "the same digital technologies that transformed every other aspect of modern life can transform education."

Murdoch's new Education Division will use technology to "engage students and empower teachers," Klein said.

News Corp. officials would not disclose Gorman's salary.

Staff writers Eric Frazier, April Bethea, Mark Price and Michael Gordon contributed.