Pa. is getting a new education secretary: Lower Merion Superintendent Khalid Mumin

Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro has named Khalid Mumin, superintendent of the Lower Merion School District, as his education secretary.

Mumin, a Philadelphia native, has led the Montgomery County district for a little over a year. He came to Lower Merion from Reading, where he was named Pennsylvania’s Superintendent of the Year in 2021.

“During the past 15 months, I have grown to love Lower Merion, our inspiring students, exemplary staff, committed families and community members; however, Gov.-elect Shapiro has offered me a unique and exciting opportunity to reshape educational policy and practices across the Commonwealth, so all Pennsylvania students can experience the level of educational excellence our students enjoy and that all students deserve,” Mumin said in a letter to the Lower Merion community. The secretary of education job, he said, “was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Mumin is scheduled to be sworn in as acting secretary of education on Jan. 17.

“For over 25 years, I have served as a teacher, dean of students, principal, and school superintendent — and I know firsthand what it takes to move our education system forward,” Mumin said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Gov.-Elect to fully fund our schools, make our students’ mental health a priority, and empower parents and guardians to ensure their children receive a quality education.”

He told Lower Merion families and staff that he won’t be a stranger to the district, even in his new role.

“As I assume my new role, I hope to ensure the continuation of the progress we are making in important areas such as the exploration of full-day kindergarten, healthy start times and finalizing field space for Black Rock Middle School,” Mumin said. “I will also work with the Lower Merion Board of School Directors and our highly qualified administrative team to ensure a smooth transition to new leadership.”

He said serving as Lower Merion superintendent was “a dream come true. It is beyond what I could have imagined as a student who began at Philadelphia’s Olney High School to go to lead one of the most exceptional school districts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, if not the entire country. I will take the experiences I have gained here with me to Harrisburg with the hope of inspiring all children, scholars and academicians to infinite possibilities of success.”

Though he currently runs one of the state’s best-funded school systems, Mumin has extensive experience in low-wealth districts, too. Before taking the helm in Lower Merion, Mumin was superintendent of Reading city schools, where he worked for six years. He also served as an administrator in Maryland.

He’s earned a host of local and national awards for his work in education.

Mumin holds a bachelor’s degree from Shippensburg University, a master’s from Penn State, and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. His first job in education was teaching second grade in Scotland, Pa.

His book Problem Child: Leading Students Living in Poverty Towards Infinite Possibilities of Success, is “part autobiography and part educational blueprint,” according to the Lower Merion district.

Mumin is married; his wife, Latrice Mumin, is an assistant superintendent in the Chester-Upland School District.

In addition to announcing Mumin as secretary of education Monday, Shapiro also named Nancy Walker, chief deputy attorney general in the commonwealth’s Fair Labor Section, as secretary of labor and industry, and Neil Weaver as secretary of administration. Weaver is acting secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.

Mumin is not the first Philadelphia-area pick for Shapiro’s cabinet. Uri Monson, former deputy superintendent and chief financial officer of the Philadelphia School District, is Shapiro’s budget secretary.