Philly schools losing another key administrator

A year after getting three new high schools off the ground, the Philadelphia School District's head of new school models is hitting the road.

Grace Cannon, who was hired in 2013 to direct the newly-created Office of New School Models, left the district on Friday, a spokesman said. She will become the head of corporate and foundation relations at Settlement Music School, one of the country's oldest arts schools, based in Philadelphia.

Cannon helped launch Building 21, The U School and LINC, all project-based citywide admission high schools which opened last September. LINC -- which stands for Learning in New Contexts -- got off to a rough start when the founding principal resigned two weeks after school began.

Cannon's departure is the latest in a series of changes at the district's central office this summer. Since the school year ended, the embattled district has said goodbye to its deputy superintendent, chief financial officer and chief academic supports officer. It has also hired four new executives and six new assistant superintendents.

One of those new assistant superintendents -- Chris Lehmann – will be charged with filling Cannon's role while a search is conducted for her replacement. Lehmann, who oversees all of the district's so-called innovation schools, will also serve as co-principal of Science Leadership Academy, the school he founded.

"Grace did incredible work," Lehmann said. "She's been a wonderful colleague, and I wish her all the best."