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Time to think beyond the SRC

It's time to begin the hard work necessary to replace the Philadelphia School Reform Commission with a viable school board. The SRC's reason to exist was all but buried last week when the state Supreme Court ruled that the law that created its extraordinary powers nearly two decades ago was unconstitutional.

It's time to begin the hard work necessary to replace the Philadelphia School Reform Commission with a viable school board. The SRC's reason to exist was all but buried last week when the state Supreme Court ruled that the law that created its extraordinary powers nearly two decades ago was unconstitutional.

Without the authority granted in the 1998 law allowing the state to take over the School District in 2001, the SRC won't be able to circumvent its contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers to assign staff and change work rules based on what it deems necessary. That may be good for the union, but not necessarily for schoolchildren.

The court's ruling, however, only validated what has been apparent for a while now: The SRC long ago stopped fulfilling the high hopes many had when it was created in a deal between Mayor John Street and Gov. Mark Schweiker. Philadelphia schools were supposed to become financially resilient as a result. Instead, they remain destitute.

Nor has academic improvement been as substantial as envisioned when the SRC was born. That's partly due to a lack of continuity. The SRC was formed to orchestrate an era of public schools run by private education management operators with free rein over curricula and personnel. But the first district CEO chosen by the SRC, Paul Vallas, retained great power in the central office.

Vallas left after five years and was replaced by the late Arlene Ackerman, who as superintendent was even more authoritarian than Vallas. Leroy D. Nunnery briefly led the district after Ackerman's contract was bought out three years later. William R. Hite Jr., the superintendent since 2012, has faced a constant barrage of fiscal, personnel, and academic challenges. Meanwhile, the five-seat SRC has had 20 members in various combinations since its creation.

The process of determining exactly what should replace the SRC should not be hasty. Since only the SRC has the legal authority to terminate itself (short of new legislation), it must participate in the process. Its members should do so willingly, understanding that it is in the district's best interests to have a school board with unquestionable authority. A new board should have the standing to enter into new labor contracts.

Whether a school board should be elected or appointed is debatable. Politics will play a role regardless. A Pew Charitable Trusts survey of 15 major urban school districts shows that 10 have elected boards, as do 90 percent of school districts nationwide. Any SRC replacement will also have to address the issue of taxing authority, including a mechanism to allow public input. In any case, Philadelphians are as capable as anyone else of running their public schools.