Philadelphia

Panel Selects 27 Nominees for New Philly School Board

Mayor Kenney will have until March 18 to make appointments or until March 8 to request additional names.

Philadelphia has released the names of 27 candidates for the new Board of Education. The Educating Nominating Panel voted Monday to recommend the candidates to Mayor Jim Kenney who will make appointments to the 9-member board. The vote was held at a public meeting in City Hall.

Several hundred people were whittled down to the 27 candidates. The Panel received over 500 names and reviewed every application. They then selected about 80 candidates to interview in sub-Panels that consisted of three panelists each. The panelists then discussed the candidates during executive sessions and narrowed down the field before Monday's public meeting.

Mayor Kenney will have until March 18 to make appointments or until March 8 to request additional names. If the mayor requests more names, the panel will have 10 days to submit a new list of names and the mayor will have another 20 days to make appointments.

New member orientation starts in April, with the new board assuming control of the Philadelphia School District in July.

The former School Reform Commission voted in November to dissolve itself after more than 15 years of state oversight. 

"Since the imposition of this body, Philadelphians have been without direct control and accountability," Kenney said at the time. "The time is right to return the School District of Philadelphia to local control and accountability."

Here are the names of the 27 nominees:

  • Sarah-Ashley Andrews
  • Jenne Ayers
  • Tonya Bah
  • Dario Bellot
  • Suzanne Biemiller
  • Laura Boyce
  • Julia Danzy
  • Susan DeJarnatt
  • Stacy Dutton
  • Leticia Egea-Hinton
  • Mallory Fix Lopez
  • Susanna Greenberg
  • Anuj Gupta
  • Rotonya Carr
  • Lee Huang
  • Renee Hughes
  • Loree Jones
  • Chad Lassiter
  • Maria McColgan
  • Chris McGinley
  • Angela McIver
  • Folasade Olanipekun-Lewis
  • Sharon Parker
  • Akil Parker
  • Roberta Trombetta
  • Patricia Wellenbach
  • Joyce Wilkerson
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