The revolving door at the top of the Chester Upland School District is opening again. And that's district Receiver Joe Watkins exiting.
The district announced yesterday that Watkins will leave Chester Upland to take a position with a new social media company called Elected Face.
His resignation is effective June 30. You can get the details here.
Watkins was the latest in a line of state-appointed leaders for the perennially struggling school district. He was appointed as the district's chief recovery officer in December 2012. After the elected school board declined to adopt his recovery plan, he became the district receiver and assumed the board’s responsibilities for running the school district. He withstood a challenge that threatened to remove him from the job.
Watkins' appointment raised some eyebrows in the district because of his longtime backing of charter school as an option for parents in troubled districts.
Chester Upland has long been hampered by funding that follows the students when they leave the public school for a charter.
Watkins vowed not only to work with charters, but to make it his mission to lure families back to Chester Upland Schools.
He embarked on a tour of district homes, meeting personally with families along with new Superintendent Gregory Shannon. They dynamic duo were successful in drawing students back to public schools in the district.
The district is currently stuggling with a $24 billion budget shortfall. Fiscal crises are not exactly new in Chester Upland. Now it will be someone else's job to make the numbers add up.
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