Why switching Philadelphia to an elected school board would be very complicated

Furious over the Philadelphia Board of Education’s vote to close several schools, City Council Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas wants to explore changing the board from one appointed by the mayor to one that’s elected.

But doing so would be an immensely complicated and politically daunting process. State lawmakers would need to pass legislation that the governor would need to sign. The mayor would need to give up the power of appointing board members, and voters would have to approve this change.

And switching to an elected board could also strip the City Council of much of its influence over the district. That’s because those and other legal changes could ultimately grant the school board major authority it now lacks: the power to tax.

The proposal from Thomas follows a citywide uproar over the district’s decision to close 17 schools, which he vehemently opposed; he’s promised to sue to halt the closures, although no such suit has materialized so far.



https://penncapital-star.com/education/why-switching-philadelphia-to-an-elected-school-board-would-be-very-complicated/