What just happened with Joyce Wilkerson and the Philadelphia school board? Here’s what we know.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker named her nine Philadelphia school board picks April 1. What followed was several weeks of political maneuvering, high-profile lobbying, a contentious City Council hearing, and, ultimately, on Monday, a refusal on Council’s part to consider the nomination of one candidate — Joyce Wilkerson.

Then, Parker pulled one more move: She asked Wilkerson, the former School Reform Commission chair and school board president, to fill the seat Council just denied her — at least, until a replacement is chosen.

Here’s a rundown of what happened, and what comes next.

The mayor picks the members of the Philadelphia Board of Education, first by choosing a panel to sift through possible candidates.

Parker’s Educational Nominating Panel sought applications, conducted interviews and presented the mayor with 27 finalists for board seats. Parker ultimately chose Reginald Streater, Sarah-Ashley Andrews, ChauWing Lam, Crystal Cubbage, Cheryl Harper, Whitney Jones, Wanda Novales, Joan Stern and Wilkerson.

The slate of nine then moved forward for confirmation by City Council.

On April 19, during hearings to question candidates, Council first announced it would not be considering Wilkerson’s nomination because she didn’t have the votes to move forward.

Then, Council, which also signaled some hesitation around Streater’s nomination, grilled the eight nominees on charters, facilities, academics and other issues.

The eight ultimately advanced, notching final confirmation by Council last week. They will be sworn in Wednesday.

On Monday, Kenyatta Johnson announced Council was withdrawing the nomination for Wilkerson, without a roll call vote.

Council president Kenyatta Johnson said on Monday that members “have had serious concerns with the nomination of Joyce Wilkerson to the board of education since it was announced several weeks ago.”

Isaiah Thomas, a Council member and chair of the education committee, said he did not support Wilkerson because “our schools have been inadequate under her leadership.”

Thomas has taken issue with the board’s handling of facilities issues in recent years, and also cited problems with the way the district operated during the pandemic and its handling of charter authorization, oversight and revocation as reasons he did not back Wilkerson.

Sources said Wilkerson did not have the backing of more than six Council members. She needed nine votes to move forward.

Initially, the loudest voices against Wilkerson were generally charter supporters. There was particular concern regarding her stewardship of Black-led charters. (Wilkerson is Black.)

Naomi Johnson Booker, founder and CEO of the Global Leadership charters, told Council members that the selection of Wilkerson “does not align with the Mayor’s vision for a new approach to education oversight that is inclusive of all schools, both traditional public and public charter schools.”

Council sources have said that Dawn Chavous, Johnson’s wife, was involved in the effort to defeat Wilkerson through her role with the African American Charter School Coalition. Chavous, spokesperson for the coalition, said the group has not taken any position on school board nominations, and that she has not used her position as Johnson’s wife to steer Wilkerson’s fate.

Chavous was a member of Parker’s nominating panel, which chose Wilkerson from a field of 100-plus applicants for final consideration by the mayor. Chavous voted for Wilkerson’s selection on the panel.

After it became apparent that Wilkerson’s nomination was in trouble, vociferous support began emerging from unlikely corners — Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan, the Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America, and the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, all voices that had sometimes been critical of Wilkerson, but who lauded her leadership, service and stewardship of the district.

Parker made an unexpected move: She asked Wilkerson in a letter to serve past April 30, when the terms of all former Mayor Jim Kenney’s nominees expire.

The mayor formally asked Wilkerson to serve “as no one has been confirmed to replace you.” The appointment lasts until Parker picks a replacement.

Wilkerson said she was “delighted” to continue to serve.

“I think the board has made wonderful progress,” Wilkerson said, declining to comment on Council’s objections to her.

Asked how long she’ll serve, Wilkerson said she only knew what Parker spelled out in her letter — that she’ll be in a board seat until Parker picks someone to replace her and Council confirms them.

The City Charter does not appear to specify a time frame for Parker to put forth a new nominee.

Council members appeared surprised by Parker’s move on Monday. Johnson, after Wilkerson announced she had been asked to continue serving, said it would be up to the city’s law department to make the final call on whether Wilkerson could stay.

But he made clear that it would be unacceptable if Parker lets Wilkerson serve indefinitely without nominating someone to replace her.

The power struggle represents the most tense point to date in the relationship between the new mayor and Council, a definite departure from “one Philadelphia,” Parker’s often-repeated catchphrase.

Parker, who keeps her inner circle tight and values loyalty, has repeatedly affirmed her support for Wilkerson and her desire to have her entire slate — not just eight members — confirmed.

Johnson said Council works “collaboratively” with the administration but underscored Council’s independence.

“I know a lot of people are looking for the theater: Council president versus the mayor,” Johnson said. “But nevertheless, we are a legislative body, and there will be times that we will disagree, and there will also be times we will agree because we all have the same common goals, and that is to move the city of Philadelphia forward.”

Staff writers Sean Collins Walsh and Anna Orso contributed to this article.