PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mayor Jim Kenney now has three seats to fill on the nine-member Philadelphia School Board.
Board member Lee Huang announced his resignation Tuesday, effective whenever a replacement is named.
When Huang was promoted to president of the consulting firm Econsult Solutions in July, he said he knew it was time to step away from the unpaid school board position, which he’s held for the last two years.
“Beyond just the time commitment — which is hard to fit into an already busy life — is just the kind of emotional burden of having to keep tabs on such a large and important enterprise,” Huang said.
He said he spends about 10 hours a week at school board meetings and events, but he treats his position as a round-the-clock responsibility.
“There’s a stewardship responsibility that you take on when you’re called into public service,” he said. “In this case, it’s the operation of the district. It’s the well-being of 200,000 kids. So yes, I and the other board members took that very seriously, and we were never ‘off,’ if you will, in thinking about that.”
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Huang’s announcement follows the resignations of board members Chris McGinley and Ameen Akbar earlier this year.
The city is already accepting applications to serve on the board.
A nominating panel will convene on Tuesday to begin considering candidates. The panel is expected to present the mayor with nine candidates for the three positions by Dec. 15. The mayor’s selections then need to be approved by City Council.
Huang advises the next three board members to not lose sight of the reason for their commitment.
“When we were able to do school visits, I did as many as my schedule permitted, and that really anchored me to what this is all about,” he added.
Huang said he will remain on the board until his replacement is selected.