PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — He has faced a financial crisis, academic achievement challenges, asbestos and a pandemic during his tenure as head of Philadelphia's schools — and that tenure is about to end. Superintendent Dr. William Hite has announced this will be his final year here.
After nine years running the School District of Philadelphia, Dr. Hite is stepping down. He has decided not to renew his contract, which pays him $335,000 a year, before it expires in August 2022.
Dr. Hite made the announcement of his intention to leave in a letter to parents.
During a news conference Wednesday, Dr. Hite said the school district has come a long way during the nine years of his tenure, but there is more to accomplish in the year before he steps away.
The school board is preparing to hire a search firm to lead a national hunt for a new superintendent.
In the meantime, the board is holding a series of 18 listening sessions starting October 11 to find out what qualities the public wants to see in a new superintendent.
Board president Joyce Wilkerson said a community advisory committee will be formed in mid-December. The committee will ultimately review the final candidates.
“We’re going to be looking for somebody that’s going to be able to move the needle around student achievement," Wilkerson said.
“It’s not just issues of the pandemic. It’s not just trash pickup. There are much more challenging issues that we’re going to be focusing on as we look for new leadership in the district.”
“I am confident that the board will engage communities and lead a thorough process to help our city find the right person to sustain and build on the progress that we’ve made," Mayor Jim Kenney added.
Dr. Hite pledged to commit his full attention to improving the district in his final year on the job, and he’s not sure what the future holds.
“I don’t intend to stay in this type of role," he admitted. "But I do intend to support public education. I do intend to stay in the area. I haven’t really through about what’s next yet.”
Dr. Hite arrived as superintendent in 2012, after running the school system in Prince George’s County, Maryland. During his tenure, Hite is credited with leading the district out of a deep financial crisis that saw the district borrowing $300 million to stay afloat and closing 23 schools in 2014.
The district made modest academic gains during his time here, but operations proved most problematic. An inspector general’s report two years ago cited "critical missteps" on Dr. Hite’s part when environmental issues forced students at Ben Franklin High School and Science Leadership Academy to be relocated for much of the school year.
In its annual evaluation, the school board last year gave Dr. Hite its second-to-lowest mark for systems leadership and student achievement. The city principals' union also issued a statement of "no confidence" in Dr. Hite a year ago.
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Most recently, as students returned to in-person learning, the school year was beset by problems including a shortage of bus drivers and food service workers, and trash not being picked up at some schools.
Dr. Hite said ten years was a long time to be a superintendent.
"Many individuals in my position don’t have the opportunity and privilege to actually serve districts that long," he said.
“This is a legacy that has benefited countless families across our city," Kenney said.
Councilmembers give mixed range of opinions on Dr. Hite's tenure
From relief to sadness to trepidation about the future, members of Philadelphia's City Council are offering a wide range of opinions about Dr. Hite’s decision to not return.
Council President Darrell Clarke and Councilmember Maria D. Quiñones Sánchez, the head of the Education Committee, praised Dr. Hite, noting the challenges that marked his tenure.
“He earned our confidence and helped steer the path towards local control and fiscal clarity," they said.
Clarke added that Hite was also an important role model with political skill.
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"A lot of young people that I represent in my community needed to see a strong African-American heading such a significant institution," he said.
"I recall when we were able to go to Harrisburg. (Legislators) talked glowingly, people on the Republican side, about Dr. Hite, and that’s why we were able to go to local control. That’s why we were able to get some additional funding."
Councilmember Helen Gym, on the other hand, was less complimentary, and said it was clearly time for new leadership.
"He represented the last vestiges of a toxic state takeover that purposely underfunded and closed down public schools, and took away essential staff," said Gym.
"He is also responsible for a number of the problems that we’ve had."
Public school advocate Donna Cooper of Children First had a more nuanced view of Dr. Hite, as someone who is smart, likeable, ethical and politically savvy, but never could solve problems such as unsafe buildings and low student achievement.
She said his strengths have helped a district fraught with problems and, in many ways, unwieldy,
"The change of superintendent means all those things are still a problem," Cooper said, "and even with a new superintendent, we have to come together in new ways to solve them."
