Camden schools’ superintendent is leaving — for a state role

Camden schools’ longtime superintendent is leaving the district in June.

Katrina McCombs, a career Camden educator who’s been superintendent of the struggling state-run district for years, will take a job as Acting Assistant Commissioner of Education for the New Jersey Department of Education. She’ll oversee early childhood services.

“This decision was not made lightly; however, I feel that after seven years of leading the district through both areas of great progress and times of challenge, it was the right time for me to consider a transition,” McCombs wrote in a letter announcing her departure. “In this position, I plan to continue advocating for strong, equitable educational opportunities for students across our state, including our great City of Camden.”

McCombs’ departure comes after several top Camden officials, including Mayor Victor Carstarphen, called for her ouster in the fall, according to the New Jersey Globe. The officials said they believed Camden schools needed a new direction.

Carstarphen, in a statement, thanked McCombs, and called her a “lifelong friend who cares deeply for our hometown.”

Camden’s mayor praised McCombs for leading the city’s leadership on pre-k enrollment, leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, and shepherding of $500 million in new school development projects. He said she has “cemented her legacy, making a lasting and impactful contribution in the City of Camden.”

Kevin Dehmer, the New Jersey Education Commissioner, cited McCombs’ “exemplary leadership” and said she would be “an asset to the Division of Early Childhood Services.”

State officials said McCombs’ departure comes by “mutual agreement” between her and the state.

McCombs, a Camden native and graduate of Camden High, will serve until the end of her current contract, which expires June 30. She is paid $226,973 annually to lead the school system of about 7,000 students in traditional public schools and more in the city’s Renaissance schools, which are publicly funded but independently run.

Her 30-year tenure began as a kindergarten teacher in the district. In 2018, she was named acting superintendent, and given the job permanently in 2019.

McCombs, in her announcement to the Camden community, touted accomplishments including a higher graduation rate and lower dropout rate, expanding career and technical education programs, the opening of a new Camden High, and a stronger financial position.

Still, the district’s students perform well below state average academically, and McCombs has had to weather significant bumps, including a major budget deficit and the closing of three schools because of declining enrollment.

A district spokesperson said McCombs had no immediate comment.

Pamela Clark, president of the Camden Education Association, thanked McCombs for her service.

“We have always shared a mutual commitment to the well-being of Camden’s children and the improvement of our school system,” Clark said in a statement.

McCombs’ replacement will be chosen by the state commissioner of education, with approval from the state board — Camden schools’ advisory board has no say.

State officials said the Department of Education will name an interim Camden superintendent and begin a search for McCombs’ replacement.

Camden activist Vida Neil, a strong McCombs supporter, said she was concerned about the future of the district in light of McCombs’ departure and recent moves by President Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education.

“Education is in trouble right now,” Neil said. “We don’t know who we’re going to get.”

The Rev. Tim Merrill, of the Imani Community Fellowship in Camden, said McCombs’ departure was “mired in politics.”

“Until the control of the district is based on a democratic process, where the people determine those who will lead, the politics of our children’s best good will always take a back seat to the politics of power,” Merrill said in a statement.