Philly’s superintendent shakes up his leadership team with promotions and hires

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. promised changes in the Philadelphia School District, and he delivered this week.

Watlington announced a restructuring of his leadership team with promotions and two additional hires in a bid to achieve his oft-repeated goal: to make Philadelphia the fastest-improving large urban school system in the United States.

“This requires something different and better in terms of strategy,” Watlington said in a statement.

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Though Watlington is still in the process of building a long-term strategic plan, he has already said his three areas of focus will be student attendance, teacher attendance, and dropout rates, and the changes will support those goals.

Academics have been reorganized into six offices reporting to Deputy Superintendent ShaVon Savage. The changes include:

A new elementary schools office will be led by Evelyn Nuñez, formerly the district’s chief of schools. Nuñez’s new title is associate superintendent of elementary schools; the 11 assistant superintendents who supervise elementary schools will report to Nuñez.

The chief of schools position will be eliminated.

Tomás Hanna, most recently the chief talent officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, is returning to the district as associate superintendent for secondary schools. Hanna, who served as chief of staff and operations chief in the Arlene Ackerman administration, also worked as a district teacher and principal of Kensington High School. After he left the district in 2011, Hanna worked as chief human capital officer in New York City Schools and as superintendent of the Coatesville School District.

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Hanna, who said he never left Philadelphia, said in a statement he was “humbled and honored” to come back to the district, and is aligned with Watlington’s vision for it.

“I’m eager to leverage partnerships with staff, family and community leaders at the secondary level to help prepare our high school students with the skills and strategies they need to pursue their college or career aspirations and explore their options beyond high school,” Hanna said.

The school district will launch a national search for a chief of curriculum and instruction. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson, now deputy chief of curriculum and instruction, will work as interim chief.

Michael Farrell, a former district principal and current deputy chief for professional learning, has been tapped as chief learning officer.

The district is also looking outside for a leader of a division responsible for special education, MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports, the district’s framework for supporting struggling students), gifted services, and multilingual learners. Sonya Berry, deputy chief of the Office of Specialized Services, will work as interim chief.

Karyn Lynch, the current chief of student support services, will continue to lead the office.

Malika Savoy-Brooks, who had been chief of academic supports, has been moved into a new job, assistant superintendent for special projects, focusing on the implementation of Act 158. That state law, which comes into play for students set to graduate in 2023, spells out new pathways to a diploma beyond simply passing the state’s Keystone test.

Under Act 158, students can qualify for graduation with some combination of experiential learning and testing — an important change for students who struggle with standardized exams.

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Uri Monson, the longtime district chief financial officer promoted in October to deputy superintendent of operations, is departing in January to become Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro’s budget secretary. A national search for his replacement continues, Watlington said, and until a replacement is found, Monson’s staff will report to Watlington.

But the district has made a key hire, naming Mike Herbstmann, the chief financial officer of the Prince George’s County School District in Maryland, as Philadelphia’s chief financial officer.

Herbstmann also has experience in Alexandria, Va., and in the Chicago school system.

Marcy Blender, who serves as Philadelphia schools’ comptroller, will work as interim CFO until Herbstmann arrives in February.

Officials said the personnel changes would be revenue neutral with the elimination of several vacant positions frozen when Watlington arrived.

The practical impact of the changes remains to be seen.

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Jerry Jordan, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president, said in a statement that while the implications are not yet clear, “we remain committed to a productive relationship with district administration. Every superintendent makes personnel changes. We hope these changes will benefit students and schools.”

Robin Cooper, president of the union that represents district principals, said she was “hoping for a brand new day, and new opportunities to transform the system. This is just re-shuffling the deck, re-shuffling [former Superintendent William R. Hite Jr.’s] team.” That no internal talent was promoted also rankled some union members, Cooper said.

Still, her union is “here to support the superintendent, and we will,” Cooper said.

Jeron Williams II, a senior at Central High and member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Board, said that while students were not consulted in the decision to make this reorganization, student voices will be crucial as the academic offices move forward.

“There needs to be students in every single one of these offices — advising these chiefs, deputy chiefs, every single person that’s involved in making in decisions that are affecting students,” Williams said.