Who Should Replace Arlene Ackerman?

As early as Feb. 1, Northwest Philadelphia residents can give their opinions on what kind of person should lead the .

Organized by the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Penn Project for Civic Engagement, a series of community forums debuts Wednesday in an effort to get citizens involved in the search for a new superintendent.

“We want to give community members the opportunity to inform this critical decision, which will have a significant impact on the quality of education our children receive,” local United Way President Jill Michal said in a statement.

Locally, , 6498 Ridge Ave. will host a forum Feb. 4 at 9 a.m. to see what residents think the replacement for Arlene Ackerman should embody.

The forums, 10 in total throughout the city, are designed more to identify leadership qualities than to discuss individual candidates. Tom Knudsen is currently serving as acting superintendent and chief recovery officer, and is considered more of a transitional leader until the School Reform Commission names a full-time replacement. .

“At these forums, community members will express their views of the leadership model the SRC envisions for the new superintendent and reach common ground to inform the search committee’s deliberations,” said Harris Sokoloff, from the Penn Project.

The events kick off Feb. 1 at Mastery Gratz High School at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, there will also be a forum at Lincoln High School at 1 p.m. A later one will be at Leeds Middle School, 1100 East Mt. Pleasant Ave., Feb. 21 at 6:30 pm.

Read the attached press release for the complete list of meetings.