By Christen Smith
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire
HARRISBURG (April 9) — The Department of Education’s Acting Secretary Pedro Rivera didn’t have to look too far to find York City School District’s next chief recovery officer.
On Thursday, the department announced a fellow Lancaster County-based school administrator, Dr. Carol Saylor, would take over for Dave Meckley, who resigned last month amid ongoing court battles over his right to receivership and his controversial charter conversion plan.
Rivera, himself, served as the superintendent of the School District of the City of Lancaster for six years before Wolf tapped him to lead PDE in January.
“Dr. Saylor has the support of Governor Wolf, the Department of Education, and local leaders to steer the York City School District on a new path,” he said. “We have confidence in her ability and her vision to develop a plan that will be inclusive of the local community and effectively deliver a better education for our children.”
Saylor’s last public education stint ended in 2009 after she served 13 years as the superintendent of Manheim Central School District. In a statement released by the department Thursday, it was noted that she spent 35 years in public education and is a graduate of Susquehanna University, Bucknell University and Nova University.
Saylor’s LinkedIn profile says she has spent the last five years of her life as the owner and managing partner of Carol Saylor and Associates, a leadership and career coaching firm.
She writes of herself: “I work with individuals who are frustrated or disappointed with their current job to help them determine if it is time to move up, move on, or move out. I work with organizations who feel like they have lost their focus; who are working hard but not seeing the progress they want.”
Some would argue York City School District fits that description.
In December 2012, former Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis declared York City School District to be in “moderate financial recovery status” under the guidelines of Act 141, signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett earlier that same year. Tomalis chose Meckley to serve as the district’s chief recovery officer, who was charged with drafting a financial recovery plan within 90 days of his appointment.
At the time, the school district was facing a $5 million deficit in the 2013-14 academic year and a projected $55.8 million cumulative shortfall by 2017-18. Meckley’s plan, adopted by the school board in June 2013, created an internal site-based management plan for schools to implement in order to improve student achievement and regain control of personnel costs. If individual schools failed to meet academic and financial benchmarks by the end of 2013, Meckley’s plan directed the district to turn the the under-performing schools over to an “external education provider.”
Last October, when many schools didn’t meet improvement benchmarks, Meckley proposed a “meet-in-the-middle” plan to turn three district buildings over to the for-profit operator, Charter Schools USA. The school board voted 7-2 against the proposal.
That’s when Meckley pushed his all-charter conversion plan, an option supported by the Corbett administration and detested by district officials and staff.
When no consensus could be reached, the state on Dec. 1 petitioned for Meckley to take over as receiver and implement the plan anyway. York County Court sided with the Corbett administration, but the district’s appeal prevented Meckley from taking control and moving forward with his plan.
In the meantime, Wolf, who calls York County home, was sworn into office and doubled down on his opposition to the charter plan. Two months later, Meckley surrendered and stepped down.
Rivera said the department chose Saylor as Meckley’s replacement after an exhaustive search that included city, state and school officials.
“School districts across Pennsylvania are struggling as a result of funding cuts, and the York City School District has been driven to the brink of financial collapse,” Wolf said. “Dr. Saylor, a long-time educator and administrator, working with Mayor Bracey will provide the leadership and vision needed to put York City Schools on a path back to stability. With Dr. Saylor’s proven experience in public education and my proposed reinvestment in our schools, York City students will finally have the tools they need to succeed.”
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