The new chief recovery officer for the Harrisburg School District plans to meet with residents at a public forum Tuesday night.
The 6 p.m. meeting at PA Careerlink, 100 N. Cameron Street was arranged by two community groups: CATCH (Concerned About the Children of Harrisburg,) and the Harrisburg chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
The state education secretary appointed Janet Samuels, 60, of Wayne, Pa., to the post of chief recovery officer in late September to succeed Audrey Utley, who stepped down from the position. Samuels retired earlier this year after ten years as superintendent of the Norristown School District in Montgomery County.
The CRO transition comes after a series of scandals and costly management mistakes by district officials that exposed the lack of systems, policies and adherence to policies. Teacher turnover also reached an all-time high during the 2017-18 school year when 137 resigned, according to The Burg. Student academic test scores also declined during the latest round of statewide testing. Some people have called for the state to take over the district through receivership, but the state education department instead tapped Samuels to take over as chief recovery officer to continue with the same level of state oversight that has existed since late 2012.
Kia Hansard, a founding member of CATCH, said the purpose of the meeting is to hear from Samuels about her vision for the district.
It’s also an opportunity for residents and staff members to share their ideas and concerns to try to improve the quality of education children in the city receive, Hansard said.
Samuel's career spans more than 35 years in public education, where she served as a classroom teacher, principal, and regional superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia.
In Norristown, Samuels was responsible for the overall operation of the school district, and was the architect of the district’s academic and long range strategic plan, according to a statement from Education Secretary Pedro Rivera.