Philadelphia is on the brink of a return to local public school control after a state-devised board that has governed the city’s school distressed district for 16 years voted to dissolve Thursday night.
The School Reform Commission, which has governed the junk-rated Philadelphia School District since December 2001 when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took control of the city’s school system, voted 3-1 Thursday to start a process leading to a new locally appointed school board by July 1, 2018. The five-member SRC currently consists of three appointees from the governor and two by the mayor.
“This year has been the strongest start of the school year since Dr. [William] Hite became superintendent and we continue to strengthen the current and future financial outlook of the School District of Philadelphia,” said SRC Chair Joyce Wilkerson in a statement. “Returning the District to Philadelphia will allow us to build on this progress and stability. The District is ready for its next phase and Philadelphia is ready to take ownership of its schools.”
In September, Moody's Investors Service
Moody’s also revised the outlook on the school system’s roughly $3 billion of debt to positive from stable. The district has faced fiscal challenges in the last decade stemming largely from state mandated support for a rising charter school population and incurring a
Mayor Jim Kenney has aggressively
“No longer will our schools be run by a Board with several different patrons, which too often leads to disorganization or unproductive infighting,” said Kenney in a statement after the SRC vote. “The buck will stop with one person, the Mayor, and I fully expect Philadelphians to hold me and future Mayors accountable.”
Philadelphia City Councilman Allan Domb
A Nov. 10 report from Fitch Ratings
The City of Philadelphia has general obligation bond ratings of A2 from Moody’s and A-minus from S&P Global Ratings and Fitch.