Open supt. contract, Commitee of 70 tells SRC
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia School District by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Kristen Graham.
Open supt. contract, Commitee of 70 tells SRC
Kristen Graham
As potential Philadelphia superintendent William R. Hite Jr. makes his way through a day of community getting-to-know-you sessions, the good-government group Commitee of Seventy has a message for the School Reform Commission: whomever you choose as leader, open the contract.
Superintendent contracts are public, of course. That's nothing new. But what Seventy wants the SRC to do is release "broad parameters" before the contract is finalized.
"The public has a right to know the costs of bringing and keeping the new superintendent here," Zack Stalberg, Seventy's CEO, said in a statement. "Maximum transparency and full deliberation is especially important given the school district's grave financial situation and the past history of secrecy surrounding deals made with ex-superintendent Arlene Ackerman by the former SRC."
Stalberg, in the release, acknowledged that disclosing the specifics of the contract while it's being negotiated could be dicey, "the SRC can help diffuse a potential firestorm by providing some general information about the discussions with the two finalists for superintendents rather than risk the details leaking out in bits and pieces."
Both Hite, superintendent of Prince George's County schools, and Pedro Martinez, deputy in Las Vegas, are still in the running - no candidate has been chosen. But the fact that the SRC might select a superintendent by the end of this week "has raised some concerns that the SRC is acting too quickly."
Ackerman's "overly generous" benefits package should be kept in mind, Seventy said. The group urged the SRC to tie performance bonuses to objective criteria with public input; to make any superintendent performance evaluation public; to establish "modest financial caps" for any buyout package; to limit the initial superintendent term to five years; and to eliminate retention bonuses.
"Confidence in the public schools is very fragile and the circumstances are unusually complicated," Stalberg said. "The public is entitled to know the carrots being offered to persuade someone to give up a secure job to come to Philadelphia."
There was no immediate word on this from the SRC; check back for updates.
The superintendent selection process continues tonight, when Hite is scheduled to answer questions at a 6:30 public session at district headquarters, 440 N. Broad St.
What do you think about the contract? Should its broad outlines be released prior to a deal being signed, or does that hamper the SRC's negotiating power?
The Committee of Seventy's demands are reasonable and necessary. Here is the address for their website: http://www.seventy.org/COS_HM_Home.aspx. Two candidates really are not enough for public comment. There should be 4 or 5. Unfortunately, the public has as much of a say as the SRC allows because the SRC is not an elected school board.— SeaMichelle
Comment removed.- C70-Thanks for the great idea. Good luck, though, with the pack of political hacks on the SRC appointed by Corbett and Nutter and only answerable to the gov. His public policy approach to public ed is to privatize it, so I doubt your wishes for transparency will be followed.— sabelotodo
- After the Ackerman debacle, you have to question the motives of anyone who wants the job. "Yeah, I'll hang around Philly for a couple of years, and walk out the door with a million bucks."— eaglescali
- People DO have a say in things like this, they can call their realtor and sell their house and move to the burbs.— TheGuyfromPhilly
- I agree with the Committee of Seventy. The School District is broke. What kind of incentive package is being used to lure someone here. Will politics play a part in thier ability to lead effectively? Why take the job when we are in such a predicament? Salary is one reason but what will sweeten the deal? The public needs to know. Especially when our temporary tax hikes have beome permanent. The temporary sales tax hike looks like it is here to stay. We still have thousands of empty seats.— Mezike23
- The Commitee of Seventy is right on the money! Thanks so much for speaking up. Now let's see if the SRC releases that information. If they don't release the information, then the SRC needs to pack it's bags and leave town and if they don't leave willingly, the public needs to protest LOUDLY! Sadly, I believe that the new Super has already been chosen without input from the public.— LadySLR
- I'm not saying that this is or is not the case with either candidate, but there are some people who would actually see this position as a tremendous opportunity to make a difference and help children/the community. People consistently talk about wanting someone who cares about children, is dedicated to their profession, and will do the right (not necessarily popular) thing. However, we never really believe that people like that exist. The next Supt. should be fearless, compassionate, focused, and possess tremendous integrity. The question is would Philadelphia's politicians, unions, communities, and people on this site ever let a person like that truly do what's right for children. The union needs to give on ridiculous perks and benefits. For profit firms need to look elsewhere to exploit communities. All public schools (including charters) must serve all children and meet accountability standards. Politicians need to serve their community, rather than live off of it. Finally, parents need raise and guide their children. If these things happen, the identify of the superintendent really doesn't matter that much.— phillytruth
- @TheGuyfromPhilly: You're telling people to move to the burbs. Well before Philly residents do that, let me jump in and add my over THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN SCHOOL TAXES IN THE BURBS INPUT. Moving to the burbs to avoid property taxes is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. I live in the burbs and contrary to what people may think about the elected boards in the brubs, they are just as political, just as hard-headed and just as secretive and corrupt as the SRC. Don't you watch the news? People in school board meetings screaming, hollering and booooing because the board is about to take steps the residents totally disagree with.
The problem with the public school system is people don't have the power to throw the bums out when they totally disregard the wishes of the residents.
— askwhy - Moving too fast indeed. Neither of these guys instills confidence.— brio
- @askwhy: While suburban school boards might well be political and agenda-driven, residents pay their taxes. As a result teachers earn higher salaries, students enjoy state-of-the-art facilities/technology, and their parents generally care about their kids; education precisely BECAUSE they pay their taxes. This can't be disputed on any level.— brio
- @ Brio, nor are they qualified. Would you elect someone to be a judge who never went to law school-Oh wait, yes, we do that in Philly. So let's hire a superintendent who has never been a teacher. Don't care what anyone says, you must have a fundamental knowledge and level of experience to hold such a position of authority and leadership. And to hire another disciple of the Broad Institute is very disappointing.— Fillygirl250
- The public has a right to know what goes on behind closed doors between council members and the mayor, but C70 has too much invested in city govt to make them change their habits. Stahlberg is like a political hack.— p.e.poole
- There is not one local candidate being considered to fill this position, which means that the SRC is looking for a hired gun with no local (political) ties. Haven't they tried this before? Ackerman, Vallas, and now another outsider. Really good job this appointed entity is doing, of wasting taxpayer money.— slugo
During the school year, you’ll frequently find her hosting live chats about the district on Philly.com. Please do pass along the scoop about what’s going on at your Philadelphia public school; Kristen welcomes tips, story ideas and witty banter at kgraham@phillynews.com or 215-854-5146.
You can also follow Kristen on Twitter here.
