PHILADELPHIA – Mayor Cherelle L. Parker provided an update today to the Board of Education for the School District of Philadelphia on her appointments to the school board.
In a letter delivered today to the Board of Education, Mayor Parker stated:
“The following Board members have been reappointed to the Board: Reginald Streater, ChauWing Lam, and Sarah-Ashley Andrews.”
“Crystal Cubbage, Cheryl Harper, Whitney Jones, and Wanda Novales have been appointed to the Board, and they will take their seat on the Board on May 1, 2024. These four new members will be replacing Julia Danzy, Leticia Egea-Hinton, Lisa Salley, and Cecelia Thompson, whose service ends on April 30, 2024.”
“Joan Stern has also been appointed to the Board, and she will fill the current vacancy on the Board on May 1, 2024.”
“As no one has been confirmed to replace Joyce Wilkerson, I have asked her to continue her service to our children as a member of the Board of Education beyond April 30, 2024, until such time when I appoint a new member. She has agreed to do so.”
In a separate letter to Joyce Wilkerson, a former President of the Board of Education, Mayor Parker further detailed her reasons for asking Wilkerson to continue her public service, stating:
“I write to ask that you continue your service as a member of the School District of Philadelphia Board of Education. Our children are our future, and members of the Board of Education play crucial roles in ensuring our children are on the path to self-sufficiency, productivity, and civic engagement. Throughout your tenure, you have been a laudable steward of this responsibility. Now, I would like you to continue that service.”
Mayor Parker nominated the aforementioned nine individuals to serve on the Board of Education earlier this month, following a thorough, careful public process led by the Educational Nominating Panel, chaired by Otis Bullock Jr., which considered 122 applicants to serve on the Board, held two public meetings, and ultimately recommended a list of 27 individuals to the mayor for her consideration.
“These nine individuals are among the best and brightest our city has to offer, and they represent the kind of diversity, civic-mindedness, and passion for public service that I seek every day as we continue to build the Parker administration,” Mayor Parker said. “I look forward to their service on behalf of the 197,000 students in our care, in traditional, charter and alternative schools. Every child matters to me. The board members know their responsibilities and their duties. Now, it’s time to get to work.”
The members of the Educational Nominating Panel who served the process are:
- Otis Bullock Jr., Chair
- Dawn Chavous
- Bishop Louis J. Felton
- Catherine Hicks
- Rev. Bonnie Camarda
- Dee Dukes
- Ira Goldstein
- Andy Toy
- Dr. Robin Cooper
- Harold Epps
- Atiyah Harmon
- Kimberly Wilson
(In addition to Chairman Bullock, Hicks served as Vice Chair, Toy was Secretary, and Wilson was Assistant Secretary to the panel.)