Gov. Wolf Ousts Chairman of Philadelphia's School Reform Commission
Gov. Tom Wolf has removed the chairman of Philadelphia's School Reform Commission a week after the panel drew his ire for approving five new charter schools.
Wolf said Sunday he's replacing Bill Green with Commissioner Marjorie Neff, a former principal. He said she shares his vision for the 200,000-student school district.
"I am hopeful that my background and experience as an educator and a parent will be useful to the task at hand," said Neff.
The state-appointed commission operates in place of a school board.
"I would like to recognize Bill Green for his strong leadership of the SRC through very difficult times. Bill has shown himself to be an extremely capable and dedicated member of the SRC," said Neff.
Green said he'll challenge the decision in court. He said commission bylaws only allow the removal of members when they've committed wrongdoing.
Green said he's unsure if Wolf was punishing him for the charter approvals. Wolf and a teachers' union had said new charters would be a financial burden for the city's schools.
Wolf said the district, which projects an $80 million budget deficit, can't responsibly handle new charter schools.
