State Senator Wants to Give Pa. Governor Power to Abolish the SRC

By Mike DeNardo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A state lawmaker from Philadelphia wants to give the governor the power to pull the plug on the state panel running the Philadelphia school district.

The amendment by state senator Vincent Hughes (D-Phila.) would give Pennsylvania's governor the authority to abolish the School Reform Commission.  The measure would also require the SRC to give three days' notice for meetings.

The move comes a week after the SRC canceled the teachers' contract in a meeting with minimal public notice.

Currently, the SRC must approve its own dissolution.

Hughes' spokesman, Ben Waxman, acknowledges that the amendment likely won't get far in the Republican-controlled legislature with two days left before the session break.

But, he says, "This would be the first time that there would ever be a vote of any kind that would deal with dissolving the SRC or any of the other issues that we've talked about."

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf has said he favors abolishing the SRC.

In:
• KYW Newsradio 1060
• Pennsylvania Legislature
• Tom Wolf
• Community
• Education
• School District of Philadelphia
• Philadelphia