Shakeup at SRC: Former city bus aide appointed
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia School District by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Kristen Graham.
Shakeup at SRC: Former city bus aide appointed
Kristen Graham
A shakeup is coming to the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, the Inquirer has learned.
Commissioner Lorene Cary, who had taken a leave of absence for medical reasons, will not be reappointed. Her term is up at the end of the month" . In her place, Mayor Nutter will appoint Sylvia P. Simms, a parent advocate.
Wendell Pritchett, whose term is also up this month, will be reappointed to the SRC.
Both Simms and Pritchett will serve four-year terms. Mark McDonald, a spokesman for the mayor, confirmed the appointments.
Until recently, Simms, 52, was a bus aide working with special needs children for the district. She is a North Philadelphia resident, graduate of Simon Gratz High School, and the mother of two children who graduated from Dobbins and University City High Schools. Her granddaughter currently attends T.M. Peirce Elementary, a North Philadelphia school slated for closure.
Simms is the founder of Parent Power, a parent empowerment organization.
She said she was surprised to be asked by the mayor to serve on the SRC, but honored.
"My focus is parents, families, and community engagement, and actually listening to the people," Simms said.
Simms, who will be sworn in by the next SRC meeting, on Feb. 21, said she knows she represents a new direction for the SRC, which has traditionally been made up of lawyers and other prominent Philadelphians.
"I'll be a voice at the table that's currently not at the table," she said.
She wades into an SRC that's facing enormous fiscal challenges, and will help determine the future course of the district. The SRC will vote on 37 school closings on March 7.
Simms said she has not yet fully evaluated the district's closing plans.
"But I will," she said. "I want to see how they determined the schools they're closing, to make sure it's a fair process."
One thing is sure, Simms said: she wants to make sure all Philadelphians are heard by the powers that be.
"They have to find a better way to talk to the people, and have those crucial conversations that people want to have," she said.
McDonald, the mayor's spokesman, said that Cary was not being reappointed for medical reasons, but said the mayor had the highest praise for her tenure on the SRC. Her focus on safety will be continued, McDonald said.
"Enough nice things cannot be said," about Cary, said McDonald.
As for Simms, "the mayor is very pleased," he said. "I think the mayor believes he's secured a very excellent person who will do what's best for all children."
In a statement, Nutter said that "Sylvia will bring an incredibly important and unique perspective to educational advocacy to the School Reform Commission.”
good luck and congrats— brjsphila- At least she'll be more likely to represent the parents/students of the school district.— daxtremesolja
Cary was a joke. She won't be missed.— DarnelX- Finally, a real person on the SRC. Let's hope that Simms won't let her sudden celebrity go to her head and that she can import the point of view of real people into this body politic.— DarnelX
- I am a Philly public school parent (oldest is in high school and youngest is in elementary school). There is only 1 parent I trust to represent Philadelphia students and their families -- Helen Gym. She would be a true independent voice on the SRC. Unfortuantely, since she is independent and would refuse any attempt to be controlled or dictated to by anyone, Ms. Gym will never be on the SRC. That's a loss for our students and my kids.— dafla67
- Until they let the mayor appoints one more member than the state, nothing he does will make any difference. The governer has already made up his mind to bust the unions and privatize our schools. I'm glad Ms. Cary will be a voice for the real stakeholders in this district, but unless she uses civil disobedience to obstruct them, she'll have little effect.
Comment removed.- Your obsession with Helen Gym is creepy and disturbing. You literally only post to write bizarre screeds about her, even on stories that don't mention her name. Why don't you say what YOU'RE really about "bi,ll"? — mansei
- Comment removed.
- Ha ha ha! A "hag" who wants to shoot her mouth off about how tax dollars get spent. Don't tell me, you wanted your school tax dollars spent on superintendent bonuses, salaries, privatizers, political and corporate lackeys instead of actual educational purposes? Or maybe you want tax dollars spent on kids getting beaten up in school cuz that's what this "agitator" shoots her mouth off about. Bizarre stalker alert "bi,ll". You are not only an incessant philly.com commenter obsessed with a private individual, but yeah, you clearly have no concept about public money or normalized values in education. "Hag" - a perfect example of your creepy mentality. — mansei
- Yes, Gym is good with the showmanship gymnastics. I'd like to see her in a position of power to see if shh is the real deal or if she is just another all talk empty suit. — Genders
- I tust she will be able to make the tough decisions to cut expenses and close schools.— misterpond
- I trust she will work diligently. As a peerson who worked with special needs children at the very least she has patience.— joedog
- Nice to see he appointed someone from "the trenches" who is familiar with the system. About time Nuttman.— dogman5
- That's Nice.....WHAT IS THE "SRC"? NOWHERE in this article does the writer explain the "SRC"; what it is; or why it's important. Pitiful Journalism.
— twobostoo
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.
