Notes from the Field
Submitted by Frank Murphy on September 22, 201
Now that Arlene Ackerman has been forced out as the superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia and Robert Archie, chairman of the School Reform Commission has resigned his post, can we at last concentrate on the issues that will most affect our school students?
For most of the last few months, we have been preoccupied with the drama that has swirled around Ackerman’s tumultuous tenure and her acrimonious departure. Archie’s alleged involvement in backroom dealings concerning the awarding of school management contracts has likewise dominated our attention.
The public outrage directed at these two failed leaders has been a distraction. The amount of media attention they received regarding their missteps has unfortunately overshadowed many more important matters, e.g. the continuing challenge of dealing with a monumental budget short fall, developing a reasonable facilities master plan and hiring a new school superintendent.
Archie’s resignation, along with that of commissioner Johnny Irizarry has further complicated the ability of the School Reform Commission to function. Since there are now three vacancies on this board, the School Reform Commission is unable to meet for lack of a quorum.
Mayor Nutter has announced that he will appoint Wendell Pritchett to the School Reform Commission. Pedro Ramos, selected by Governor Corbett to sit on this board, awaits confirmation by the Pennsylvania Legislature. Hopefully these two appointees will be quickly sworn in as SRC board members. Then the commission will be able to meet and conduct its official business.
These new members of the SRC will have much to do in the weeks and months ahead and the sooner they are able to get to work the better they will be able to assist our school district to return to some semblance of normality.
The budget crisis and political turmoil of this last year have left our district in a precarious position. We urgently need to get it back on track. But first we have to let go of our collective anger and indignation over how the SRC has mismanaged its responsibilities in providing adequate and appropriate oversight of the Ackerman administration. Even more importantly, we need to put behind us the resentment and outrage that has been engendered as a result of Ackerman’s outrageous buy out package.
So for the sake of the children, let’s get past our need to assign blame for the past failures of district leaders. Providing our students with the best educational experience possible is the business we need to tend to now. Yes, it is time to turn the page of change. And in doing so, a new SRC board is all that we have to count on in order to make a difference. In the face of this reality, can we at least give them a chance to earn our respect?
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