PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A committee approved 27 nominees for the Philadelphia Board of Education on Tuesday evening. Now that list of candidates goes to Mayor Cherelle Parker, who will choose nine to serve on the board. Some community members, however, took issue with a nomination process that seemed closed off and secretive.
Applications for the all-volunteer school board were open from Feb. 1 through the Feb. 23, and the nominating panel winnowed down more than 120 applicants to about 60 standardized interviews over the first week of March before the Educational Nominating Panel landed on the final 27 candidates.
Some Philadelphians, like former teacher Lisa Haver, expressed their disapproval of a school board selection system that isn't left up to a popular vote.
"That's the antithesis of democracy. I'm not even sure why we're talking to you, because you've made your selection. It's the mayor who's going to decide, and I don't see the mayor here," she said.
"The people of Philadelphia remain disenfranchised when it comes to selecting the Board of Education. The only way to fix this affront to democracy is to end the disenfranchisement of Philadelphians and create an elected school board."
Horace Clouden spoke of a sense that the school board is disconnected from the community.
"I'm part of the Parent and Community Advisory Council to the board — and yet, the board hasn't met with us for over a two-year period. So again, whoever you get to be on the board — what is their actual involvement?"
In response to the criticism, the panel's chairman, Otis Bullock Jr., says the process isn't up to the panel — that's just the way it's laid out in the city charter.
"It's the law. It's the home rule charter. The home rule charter says the mayor gets to make these appointments," Bullock said.
"I'm not here to give my thoughts on the process. I'm here to follow the process, and that's what I did."
Bullock says the panel put an emphasis on picking candidates with diverse backgrounds, but the committee also wanted to assemble a board that they felt could secure funding.
"We're talking about over a $4 billion budget. You need some folks on there with some gravitas and with legislative experience. Wanna beg Harrisburg for some money — you need some folks who can do that."
The list of 27 finalists includes seven of the nine current school board members — for example: current board President Reginald Streater. Parker has 10 days to either choose the new board members or to make further nominations. If she makes further nominations, she has 10 more days to decide.
The new board is expected to be seated May 1, serving a term concurrent with the mayor's.
