By Dale Mezzacappa

– Gov. Wolf has asked Marjorie Neff to take over as the chair of the School Reform Commission, ousting Bill Green from that role.

“The School District of Philadelphia is in dire financial straits, and our children are being put at a disadvantage as a result of misguided cuts and poor decisions,” the governor said in a statement. “The district was forced to make major cutbacks in transportation, security, and janitorial services just to open on time last year. We must make new investments in education and provide a fresh path forward for Philadelphia’s schools.”

Green, who gave up his City Council seat when he was appointed by former Gov. Tom Corbett, said he was “concerned by the Governor’s belief that he can influence this body. The School Reform Commission is a governing body that has taken hard decisions and is built to stand apart from political influence.” He said he believed that Wolf had “no legal basis” for naming another commissioner as chair.

Jeffrey Sheridan, Wolf’s spokesman, said via email that Wolf is “well within his authority to name a new chair of the SRC.”

Neff, who was appointed by Mayor Nutter, was the only one of the five commissioners to vote against approving any new charter schools last week. With 39 applications, the SRC approved five. The SRC was under pressure from Wolf, on the one hand, who said the District couldn’t afford more charter schools, and Republican legislative leaders, on the other, who wanted all “qualified” applicants approved.

Neff, a 38-year veteran of the District, retired last year as principal of Julia R. Masterman Demonstration School, the city’s premier special admission school.

“Marjorie has dedicated her entire career to education, and she shares my vision for investing in public education so our children have the resources they need to succeed in a modern economy,” Wolf said in the statement. “I am confident that Marjorie will be able to engage in a collaborative way the different interests involved in leading the school district and it will be refreshing to have an educator who understands the needs of our schools as chair. I look forward to working with her to restore cuts and reverse the public education deficit in Philadelphia.”

Neff, reached by telephone in Florida, said that the governor asked her to assume the chair this past week.

“I thought about it, I talked to my family about it, and I decided I would do it,” she said. “The governor said it was an opportunity to work with him on his vision for public education. I thought about my skill set, experiences I’ve had — I thought I could do it.”

She said she didn’t know exactly why Wolf made the decision. “He asked me to make a contribution. I feel for the first time in a long time we have a governor interested in reinvesting in public education, and I’m excited to work with him on that.”

She said that she had “no quarrel with Bill Green,” and that “he’s been a good chair during very difficult times this past year. I’m glad he’s going to stay on the SRC.”

Last week, the SRC decided to take to the the Supreme Court its effort to void the contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and redirect savings on benefit costs into schools. While Neff didn’t say directly whether she thought this was a good idea, she said it is important to have “clarity” on the extent of the SRC’s powers. It was given special powers when the state took over the District due to its fiscal distress.

“I think we need clarification on what we can and what we can’t do,” she said. “The Commonwealth Court decision was not clear.”

Neff said that while the situation is now “awkward” for the five-member panel, she has no doubts about its ability to continue to work together. “I feel this is a group of people that is going to rise above it. Certainly, Bill has risen above it. We are five different people with five views on almost everything, but we work together very well.”

Feather Houstoun, another Corbett appointee, said, “I think Bill has been a terrific chair, and Marge will be also. We have worked together with Bill Hite and his team and will continue to do so.”

Source: http://thenotebook.org/blog/158277/gov-wolf-names-marjorie-neff-chair-src-green-says-hell-fight-move