Replaced SRC Chair Bill Green: 'Would've Been Nice To Have Been Asked To Step Aside'
By Dom Giordano
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Governor Tom Wolf has replaced School Reform Commission (SRC) chair Bill Green with Marjorie Neff, voiding his five year contract.
The former chair told Talk Radio 1210 WPHT midday host Dom Giordano that he was not entirely surprised by Wolf's decision, but he feels that it could have been handled better.
"Obviously the governor has made clear that he wants to eliminate the SRC in it's entirety and have an elected school board. So it's not terribly surprising that he is focusing on us. It is terribly surprising that the week of his budget address and during budget season he would make a move that frankly is a distraction to the work of the SRC, the district, (Philadelphia Schools Superintendent) Bill Hite and his leadership team who are putting out their action plan 3.0 this Wednesday. It was an unnecessary distraction and it would have been nice to have been asked to step aside for someone else rather than just being told that's what's happening, but there's a lot of politics in this position."
According to one of the governor's spokesman, Green was replaced in part due to his vote on charter school expansion when 39 charter schools applied to for acceptance earlier this year and only five were granted.
"Nobody can turn in a perfect term paper every time but the ones that were very close to meeting the mark who could have simply resubmitted after fixing very minor deficiencies, especially when there were great operators that have a great track record, that do a great job today. We felt like we should be expanding quality options for children in the city and we had to do it by following the law and calling balls and strikes in a very thorough and public process. I think that everybody was mad at us, so we probably got it right."
Seeing that a SRC member can only be let go for malfeasance or misfeasance and Green feels that he has done neither, he is filing a lawsuit to rectify the situation.
"The reality is, three votes controls what happens in the SRC, not the chair and I've worked great with my colleagues, and we've achieved a whole lot during the last year and I will continue to do that while the courts resolve this issue. I have tremendous respect for Commissioner Neff and am proud to serve with her and look forward to continue to do what we do for the children of the city."