Ramos resigns from SRC

PHILADELPHIA Pedro Ramos resigned Monday from the School Reform Commission, throwing the Philadelphia School District into further turmoil.

Ramos, who had served as chair since late 2011, cited "recent, unexpected" family news in his resignation, announced by the Governor's Office.

It was not clear who would lead the SRC or when a permanent replacement might be nominated by Gov. Corbett. District officials directed those questions to state officials, who said only that answers would be forthcoming.

Ramos had been steering the SRC through an extraordinarily turbulent period. On his watch, the SRC hired a superintendent, closed dozens of schools, and endured one budget crisis after another.

Corbett, who appointed Ramos, a Democrat, on Monday lauded his service.

"Pedro's well-deserved reputation and record in Philadelphia's educational community gave him the credibility and insight to bring about change and positive reforms on behalf of the students of Philadelphia," the governor said in a statement.

Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., who was hired by Ramos, said he would be "difficult to replace." Ramos, a product of the city school system and father of two recent district graduates, "is one of the reasons I came to Philadelphia," Hite said.

Mayor Nutter said Ramos "did not flinch from making tough decisions on behalf of our children."

Ramos, 48, is a former school board president, city solicitor, and managing director. He is a lawyer with Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis L.L.P.

Crisis defined Ramos' tenure on the SRC, a five-member volunteer panel. Ramos, Feather O. Houstoun, and Joseph Dworetzky are gubernatorial nominees. Wendell Pritchett and Sylvia Simms were appointed by the mayor.

Shortly after his confirmation in November 2011, Ramos announced that the district would run out of cash unless drastic corrective action was taken. He brought in Thomas E. Knudsen as the temporary chief recovery officer and, in contrast to earlier administrations, vowed to make tough decisions to put the district on firmer financial ground.

That meant closing dozens of buildings in a district that had lost more than 50,000 students to charter schools over more than a decade. More closings are expected in the next few years.

During the Ramos era, plans were also announced to break the district into "achievement networks" - groups of schools that could be run by outside providers - but the idea drew public outrage and was shelved.

And while both state and local officials have given Ramos credit for the direction the SRC has taken - Nutter credited Ramos with "ensuring that the commission would not spend dollars it didn't have" - the district's money problems continue. For several years running, the district has faced cuts in state aid or increases too slight to cover its obligations.

Last year, the SRC had to borrow $300 million just to pay its bills. This summer, the district laid off thousands of counselors, assistant principals, and support staff. While $50 million in new city money and $45 million released by the governor last week brought back some of those workers, many schools lack even the basics despite the cash infusion.

Ramos' resignation creates a big question mark in a district already facing many unknowns: Will the Republican governor now turn to someone within his own party to lead the SRC? How will Ramos' departure affect the ongoing contract negotiations with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers? For how long will there be a vacancy on the SRC?

Pritchett, who ran Thursday's meeting, had served as acting chair before Ramos' confirmation. A spokesman for the state Department of Education said an acting chair would be named soon.

The surprise vacancy creates a period "of great risk" for the district, said Donna Cooper, head of the nonprofit Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth and a top adviser to former Gov. Ed Rendell.

With Ramos, as a Philadelphian and a public school parent, "we knew that he had a strong commitment to public education. We can't guarantee that will happen again."

Finding a replacement will not be easy. In many ways, the SRC chair is one of the toughest jobs in the city. It's an unpaid post that requires almost full-time commitment.

And it's an especially difficult job for a gubernatorial appointee. Ramos took heat for failing to publicly decry Harrisburg's position on funding city schools - but he also had to answer to the governor who appointed him.

Ramos, Cooper said, "did an admirable job in a hot seat. Many time, he was in a no-win situation, and he soldiered through."

Mark Gleason, executive director of the influential Philadelphia School Partnership, praised Ramos as "tremendous in his role. He has focused the SRC on problems that have been kicked down the road for years and years."

Helen Gym, a district parent and a founder of Parents United for Public Education, was disappointed in Ramos' stewardship of the SRC.

"He broke public trust around a whole host of issues - dealing with the governor on the budget, closing schools," Gym said. "The SRC couldn't be more removed or distant."

But she worries about who will come next, Gym said.

"The biggest question is whether another Corbett appointee will be worse than Pedro Ramos," she said.

More SRC churn is expected. Ramos' term was due to expire in January, along with that of Dworetzky, a Rendell nominee who is unlikely to be reappointed.

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