End of an era

I was one of many who breathed a sigh of relief when Philadelphia schools czar Paul Vallas was offered a two-year contract extension last year (after some uncertainty with the School Reform Commission). But in light of the recent budget revelations, I'm not that surprised to hear that he's planning to resign at the end of this school year. He might have still had work here to do, to follow out his visions and see his programs farther into implementation, but the period of trust and cooperation with the educational community and larger public has come to an end. I hope we can find somebody who continues to build on the delicate optimism that's been sprouting here in the last five years . . .