Another top Ackerman aide to leave Phila. SD
Tomas Hanna, a top aide to Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, is leaving the Philadelphia School District for a job in New York. He's the second member of the superintendent's cabinet to leave in recent weeks.
Tomas Hanna, a top aide to Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, is leaving the Philadelphia School District for a job in New York.
Hanna had been a district teacher, principal, chief of staff to Ackerman and, most recently, the Associate Superintendent of Academic Supports. He leaves the district in mid-July to become Chief of Innovation for the country's largest school system.
“Tomas’s dedication to the young people in this District has been invaluable to our efforts to decrease violent incidents and make our schools more personal for our students and their families. I know that he will bring a fresh, new perspective to Chancellor Walcott’s vision for New York City’s Innovation Zone (iZone) initiative,” Ackerman said in a statement.
Hanna said he was excited about the new job.
" I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity than leading this cutting-edge initiative with personalization at its core," Hanna said in a statement. "I am grateful to Dr. Ackerman for giving me the opportunity to work with great school-based staff, particularly principals and their leadership teams, talented staff at central office, and community partners dedicated to supporting students and families in the District’s more than 200 schools over the past three years."
David Weiner, another Associate Superintendent, also left for New York recently. Weiner was also Ackerman's chief academic officer.
The Philadelphia School District faces a massive budget gap and recently issued pink slips to over 3,400 workers. It's also made deep cuts in programs and school budgets.