This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Estelle Richman, Gov. Wolf’s nominee for the School Reform Commission, has been making the rounds in Harrisburg and will have her confirmation hearing before the state Senate on Tuesday, she confirmed.
Richman said that she had met with 10 members of the Senate Education Committee and will meet with the rest on Monday, plus Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman and President Pro Tem Sen. Joe Scarnati. The hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. The SRC has recently undergone a major shift in membership, with three of its five members being replaced. Mayor Kenney named Joyce Wilkerson to the SRC after Marjorie Neff resigned and picked Christopher McGinley to replace Sylvia Simms, whose term expired. Wolf chose Wilkerson to be the new chair. If confirmed, Richman will replace Feather Houstoun, who served for six years on the commission. Major votes on new charter school applications are coming up next week, and many charter renewals are also due for a vote. The previous membership of the SRC was sharply divided on the future of charter schools. Three members are appointed by the governor and two by the mayor. The mayor’s selections do not require confirmation, so Wilkerson and McGinley were able to take their seats immediately. Wolf initially named Richman in October, but resubmitted her name last month when the new legislature was seated and after Houstoun’s term officially expired.