Post a commentState officials argue over governing board for struggling school districts
The Chester Upland School District, under state oversight for the last 16 years because of academic and fiscal woes, could be returned to the control of its elected school board on July 1 - and possibly lose $5 million in state funding.
That's because the law allowing for the state takeover of persistently low-achieving districts, and the extra money it provides, expires on that date.
Efforts to fashion a replacement are stalled amid disputes between Republican and Democratic legislators and state officials over how Chester Upland and another troubled district, Harrisburg, would operate under the new, tougher proposal.
Some observers say the legislation might be put on hold until next year.
Adding to the uncertainty, Chester Upland's popular superintendent, Gregory Thornton, is leaving July 1 to take a job in Milwaukee, and because the future of the oversight board has been unclear, no replacement has been selected. Some residents worry about a return to the instability the district had seen for decades, with the turnover of top leadership undercutting efforts to improve schools.
Under Thornton and a governing board appointed by Gov. Rendell in 2007, Chester Upland took the first tentative steps toward academic progress, many residents say. Test scores and the number of seniors graduating and going on to college have gone up; violence is down; and several private-public partnerships brought new money and programs into the district.
Still, many in Chester Upland have long advocated the return to power of the elected board. Since 1994, a series of appointed boards have been in charge. The current three-member group is made up of two educators and a
That's because the law allowing for the state takeover of persistently low-achieving districts, and the extra money it provides, expires on that date.
Efforts to fashion a replacement are stalled amid disputes between Republican and Democratic legislators and state officials over how Chester Upland and another troubled district, Harrisburg, would operate under the new, tougher proposal.
Some observers say the legislation might be put on hold until next year.
Adding to the uncertainty, Chester Upland's popular superintendent, Gregory Thornton, is leaving July 1 to take a job in Milwaukee, and because the future of the oversight board has been unclear, no replacement has been selected. Some residents worry about a return to the instability the district had seen for decades, with the turnover of top leadership undercutting efforts to improve schools.
Under Thornton and a governing board appointed by Gov. Rendell in 2007, Chester Upland took the first tentative steps toward academic progress, many residents say. Test scores and the number of seniors graduating and going on to college have gone up; violence is down; and several private-public partnerships brought new money and programs into the district.
Still, many in Chester Upland have long advocated the return to power of the elected board. Since 1994, a series of appointed boards have been in charge. The current three-member group is made up of two educators and a