Philly has a new superintendent: Tony B. Watlington Sr. starts his five-year contract in June

The future of the Philadelphia School District rests in Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s hands.

Watlington, a career educator from North Carolina, has been selected by Philadelphia’s school board to replace William R. Hite Jr. as the next superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, chief executive of a sprawling system of 216 schools, 115,000 students, and a $3.9 billion budget.

Watlington signed a five-year contract with a one-year renewal option, and will be paid $340,000, with no incentive clauses. He will live in the city, per the terms of his contract, and will start June 16.

The Philadelphia job is a huge leap forward for Watlington, currently superintendent of the Rowan-Salisbury School District, which educates about 20,000, with a budget of $190 million.

» READ MORE: Tony Watlington, who leads a small N.C. school district, talks to the community

The announcement was at district headquarters Friday morning, capping a six-month national search, and with Mayor Jim Kenney, Hite, and other officials looking on. Cheers went up as the new superintendent made his way into the auditorium and then as board president Joyce Wilkerson announced Watlington as the board’s pick.

“This is an incredible moment for our students and families,” Wilkerson said, calling Watlington a “deeply experienced, respected, innovative, and visionary educator.”

“Our city is passionate about education, and we look forward to working with you to making our schools the beacons of light that we need them to be. Dr. Watlington is the right person to lead the work ahead,” Kenney said.

Watlington said he was grateful for the opportunity to lead one of the nation’s largest school systems, and said he wakes up every day with a question on his mind: “How are the children? How are all the children?”

He said he wants to provide “life-changing opportunities and outcomes for each and every child in the School District of Philadelphia.”

Watlington, who had a full day of meetings with politicians and business leaders, acknowledged that he has much to learn about the city to which he has had no previous ties.

“I’m going to get out and be very visible and learn Philadelphia,” said Watlington. He identified as his top priorities a listening tour, wrapping his arms around the state of the district’s facilities challenges, and understanding “the next steps to improving academic achievement.”

Watlington, who will remain Rowan-Salisbury superintendent until he begins work in Philadelphia, said he’ll begin to house hunt immediately, and plans to spend weekends in the city. Hite said he has already made space for Watlington at district headquarters.

Philadelphia’s current superintendent said he thought Watlington was the right pick to take over after his decade on the job.

“I have all the faith in him,” Hite said.

Watlington, 51, was one of three finalists for the job. He was chosen over John Davis, Baltimore’s current chief of schools, and Krish Mohip, the deputy education officer for the Illinois State Board of Education.

Though some criticized what they said was a shallow pool of candidates amid a flurry of superintendent searches nationally, Watlington was regarded as the clear favorite after the public met him in a series of meetings and a town hall. He won points for a straightforward style and clear explanations of who he is and what he values as an educator.

» READ MORE: 7 things to know about Philly’s new superintendent, Tony B. Watlington Sr.

But Watlington has a great deal to prove as someone who has only served in a superintendent role for a year, and in a small district. He comes from a right-to-work state to a district that must contend with five separate unions, including the powerful Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. He will lead a district unable to raise a penny of its own revenue and therefore susceptible to whatever the prevailing political winds are in City Hall and Harrisburg.

Watlington will face myriad challenges, immediately — from the continuing fallout of the pandemic and low staff morale to a stock of 300 aging buildings that require about $5 billion to fix. The school system is about to embark on a strategic planning process that could result in school closings; its revamped special admissions process was widely criticized; and its work around antiracism is ongoing.

Academically, it struggles, even when measured against other big-city school districts: Only about 35% of its students meet state standards in English and 21% in math.

» READ MORE: What does Philadelphia’s superintendent do, and why should you care?

But Watlington has said he’s up to the Philadelphia challenge, primed to assemble a strong team and scale up the things he does well.

He described himself as a consensus-builder.

“I know how to bring out the best in people, I have a knack for bringing diverse groups of people to work around big, tough problems,” Watlington said during a March town hall.

He acknowledged the hurdles he will have to handle in order to win Philadelphia’s confidence, but vowed transparency as he does it.

“I’m one of those leaders that likes to put my cards on the table face up,” Watlington said. “Trust is the cumulative act of small acts.”

The school board has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to approve Watlington’s contract.