Inquirer Editorial: Could a board do worse?

Sen. Mike Stack's proposal to replace the School Reform Commission with an elected board of education is timely.

Given the SRC's poor performance of late, its future should be under the microscope. Even if the conclusion is that the panel remains the best vehicle to oversee city schools, this discussion needs to occur.

Stack's bill would let city voters choose a nine-member board in a nonpartisan election. A crucial flaw in the Philadelphia Democrat's plan, though, is that it would deny the board the right to hire superintendents. That power would instead be vested in the mayor.

It would be a mistake to undercut the authority of any school board by giving a superintendent the right to bypass it and go directly to a mayor to get what he or she wants. An elected board can hardly be held accountable by voters if it is not really calling the shots to run a school system.

Now in its ninth year, the SRC was created as an independent body to oversee the district, whose annual budget of about $3.2 billion is mostly funded with state tax dollars. Standardized-test scores have improved during that time, and the graduation rate has also increased. But the district still has huge problems.

Many in the public are rightly questioning whether the SRC has become too politicized to make the best decisions for schoolchildren. Under ousted former Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman, the commission acted largely as a rubber stamp. SRC Chairman Robert L. Archie was accused of having conflicts of interest that undermined his ability to lead.

It could be that the SRC just needs its current membership replaced by new appointees who are more vigorous in their support of children. But neither Gov. Corbett nor Mayor Nutter, who appoint the panel's members, has indicated he is willing to ask anyone to resign.

The SRC was a much different body in its early days. Former Chairman James Nevels did not let his being a fellow Republican keep him from fighting then-Gov. Richard Schweiker's idea to let the for-profit Edison Schools Inc. run the district. Nevel's successor, Sandra Dungee-Glenn, also promised not to let political expediency dictate her decisions.

If a decision is made to keep the SRC, changes must be made, starting with its membership. But it may be that this panel's credibility has been so damaged that it needs to be replaced by an elected or appointed board. It is time to fully discuss that possibility.