Wolf has a vision for ending SRC, not a blueprint
Photo: Harvey Finkle
The five members of the School Reform Commission, with Superintendent William Hite (second from right), at a meeting in September 2014.
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission is here to stay, at least for a little while longer.
Gov. Tom Wolf campaigned on the idea that he'd like to replace the SRC with a locally elected body, but proponents of that plan shouldn't hold their breath.
There are two ways the SRC can end: either the state legislature would pass legislation to repeal the 2001 bill that created it in the first place. Or the five-member body can vote to self destruct.
Wolf would prefer Philadelphia's schools to be overseen by a democratically elected governing board, but he says he's not going to put immediate pressure on either of those two options.
"My preference is to actually create an environment where an SRC isn't necessary," he said in a recent interview.
All of the other school districts in Pennsylvania have a nine-member elected school board. The SRC was established in 2001 when the district was considered to be in fiscal distress. The governor appoints three members to the board and Philadelphia's mayor appoints two. Unlike other districts, it does not have taxing-authority — leaving it at the mercy of the city, state and federal government for resources.Wolf has a vision for ending SRC, not a blueprint | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:
