Five things to know about Marjorie Neff

Marjorie Neff is the new leader of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, after Gov. Tom Wolf stripped Bill Green of the chairmanship over the weekend.

Green's ousting came just days after the SRC's controversial approval of five new charter schools in the district.

Wolf asked Neff, an SRC commissioner and retired Philadelphia School District principal, to serve as the chair.

Here are five things to know about the woman now in charge at the SRC:

1. Her career: She has a long career as an educator and administrator in Philadelphia public schools. Before retiring in June 2014, she was principal of the highly regarded Julia R. Masterman School, a top magnet high school. Before that, she was principal at Samuel Powel Elementary School. Neff began her teaching career as a middle school in instructor at Ada Lewis Middle School. She was named to the SRC in July.

2. Key SRC votes: She didn't vote to approve any new charters at last month's controversial SRC meeting. Those opposed to expanding charter schools, including the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, have praised Wolf's decision to replace Green with Neff. However, Neff and the other commissioners received widespread criticism from the union in October when the SRC unanimously voted to cancel the teachers' contract.

3. Champion of libraries: As the number of librarians in Philadelphia schools dwindles, Neff is seen as an advocate for libraries. She saved Masterman's librarian from a threatened job cut by reclassifying the position, and told the Inquirer last month that "the library was the center of the school program" at the schools where she was principal.

4. Why she's at the SRC: Neff has repeatedly described supporting students as the reason the barely retired principal accepted the SRC position last summer. "What I really want to be able to do is continue to fight for the resources that we need in Philadelphia in order to educate children. I want to make sure there is congruence between What does it mean to transform schools? and How much is it going to cost?" she told The Notebook after she was named to the position. She told the Inquirer she was struck by city students' resilience and wanted "to continue to support those kids."

5. Family life: She lives in Philadelphia's Mount Airy section with her husband and their black Lab. Neff has two sons, both graduates of Philadelphia public schools.