Top Camden officials are seeking to oust school Superintendent Katrina McCombs, report says

Camden’s top elected officials, including Mayor Victor Carstarphen, want the state to oust school Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs, saying the troubled South Jersey school system needs a “new vision in leadership,” according to a published report.

Carstarphen and four others have asked acting state Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer to replace McCombs as the state-appointed school chief, according to the New Jersey Globe. The others cited are State Sen. Nilsa Cruz-Perez, Assemblyman William Spearman, City Council President Angel Fuentes, and the newly elected school advisory board president, N’Namdee Nelson — all Democrats.

“While we recognize and appreciate the efforts Superintendent McCombs has made during her tenure, we believe that a fresh direction is necessary to fully address the evolving needs of our students and educators,” they wrote Dehmer. “A change in leadership will better position our schools to thrive and serve the diverse needs of our community.”

The Globe article by David Wildstein, a Republican and confessed mastermind of the New Jersey political revenge plot known as Bridgegate, sent shock waves in Camden. Wildstein, the editor of the politics news site, pleaded guilty in 2015 to two felony conspiracy charges in Bridgegate; a federal judge later vacated his conviction.

A group calling itself the “Concerned members of the Camden community” released a statement Friday chastising those who called for McCombs’ removal. They called the stance “divisive” without transparent justification.

“The time for unity and collaboration is now. Our children deserve consistency, fairness, and leaders who are supported in their efforts to lead with integrity,” the letter said.

» READ MORE: Judge reverses conviction of ‘Bridgegate’ mastermind David Wildstein

McCombs could not be reached for comment Friday. Schools were closed for the state teachers convention. A spokesperson did not immediately respond. Spokespeople for Dehmer and Gov. Phil Murphy did not respond to a request to see the letter.

In September, McCombs called for then-advisory board president Wasim Muhammad to resign after he was accused of sexual assault by a former student in a civil case that was settled for $2 million in June. Murphy had also called for Muhammad to resign.

There was widespread speculation Friday that Camden officials, who lauded McCombs in the past, were now seeking to remove her in retaliation. Muhammad, who had maintained his innocence and originally said he would not step down from his role, resigned shortly after McCombs publicly called for his resignation. Nelson replaced Muhammad as board president.

McCombs was named acting superintendent by the state in 2018 and got the job permanently a year later. She was appointed to a second three-year term in 2022. Her contract runs through the 2024-25 school year.

» READ MORE: The embattled Camden school advisory board president has resigned after months of protests

Muhammad and Carstarphen were teammates on Camden High’s 1986 undefeated championship basketball team and are often seen hanging out together. McCombs was their classmate and a popular cheerleader when they were high schoolers.

According to the Globe report, Camden officials offered to meet with Dehmer to discuss the superintendent’s position. Because the district is under state intervention, the commissioner, with approval from the state board, selects the school chief. Camden’s advisory board has no authority.

Vincent Basara, a spokesperson for the mayor, said he didn’t “have any information on this.” Fuentes did not respond to messages. Spokespeople for Cruz-Perez and Spearman did not return messages Friday asking about the letter. Nelson could not be reached.

McCombs has spent her entire career of more than 25 years in Camden schools. She began as a kindergarten teacher and moved up the administrative ranks. She was appointed superintendent in 2019, replacing Paymon Rouhanifard, the first appointed superintendent after the state seized control in 2013.

She inherited a district in disarray, from abysmal test scores and a high dropout rate to mismanaged finances. Students began leaving the city’s traditional public schools for Renaissance and charter schools, which now lead the district’s enrollment.

» READ MORE: A decade after a state takeover, has the Camden school system made progress?

More than a decade after the state takeover, the district has made modest gains in graduation and dropout rates, set back partly, officials say, by the pandemic. The latest state standardized test results show Camden students performing well below the state average in math, language arts, and science.