Superintendent search is a test for the new SRC

The commission intends to make its choice this spring, guided by community feedback.

by Bill Hangley, Jr.

Photo: Harvey Finkle

Chief Education Officer Lori Shorr is on the search committee. SRC member Wendell Pritchett is chair.

The search for a new leader at the School District of Philadelphia is now officially underway, with the goal of selecting one by May. And it's already clear that the process is about more than just finding the right candidate.

Observers call it a critical test for the School Reform Commission itself. It's a chance for that body to persuade everyone that it can steer the District through its current troubles and provide a community-supported framework in which the next leader can succeed.

"Philadelphia's got to show that somebody can come there, and be successful, and be given the room and the cover to do what has to be done," said Michael Petrilli of the Fordham Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

"We need the SRC to be the keeper of the plan," said Susan Gobreski, director of Education Voters of Pennsylvania. "Superintendents come and go, but we need the governing board to own its mission, and own the execution of the mission."

"So much of this process is about restoring the public's faith and trust," said Marc Mannella, founder of KIPP Philadelphia Charter School. "How you get [a candidate] to say 'yes' is if you have an SRC that knows how to operate, that knows how to build consensus."

SRC members say they're ready for the challenge. They plan to post an initial job description by early February, but also promise that the feedback gathered at subsequent public meetings will shape their final plan for the next leader.

"We have to show resolve and forward motion on changes that are going to stabilize the District … to show that we are cohesive, transparent, [and] open-minded," said Feather Houstoun, the newest SRC member. "If we can turn over to a new superintendent a five-year plan with the building blocks of the administrative and financial apparatus [in place], then that person can think about education."

The SRC has already shared some initial priorities that shed light on its vision of the task ahead.

A 'team-builder'

The new leader does not have to be a traditional educator or former superintendent, SRC members say. The essential characteristics: a team-builder with experience in large organizations who will embrace the so-called "diverse provider" model, grant more autonomy to District schools, and push for academic success in schools of all types.

"We don't expect to find in one person everything we want," said SRC chairman Pedro Ramos. "It necessarily requires somebody who has the skill and track record of building good teams … getting people to do the things you need them to do, even when you don't have the authority to tell them to do it."

Ramos said that if the next superintendent is not an educator, he'd expect that person to bring in a strong academic leader. "We don't want the person who's going to try to wing it," he said.

Improving relations between the District and its charters ranks among the SRC's top priorities. SRC members note in a list of key criteria that "the emergence of diverse education providers … require[s] the District to rethink its vision and outlook."

KIPP's Mannella is one who welcomes this attitude. "That matters a lot to us [charter operators] – the notion that there's room for all of us in this tent that is public education. That's not been said out loud by the School District of Philadelphia in recent years, that I remember," he said. "It's a post-oppositional kind of world."

And as for District schools, the SRC expects the next superintendent to grant them greater autonomy, in part out of necessity. As budget cuts shrink the size and capacity of the central office, Houstoun said, principals will be able to "make some decisions on their own." She said the new superintendent should be able to tell principals: "'Here's your budget, we think we can protect it this year. You make decisions and you don't have to come back to us – just go and do good.' I'm vastly oversimplifying … but I think that's really the nature of this."