15 other Philly school administrators lack certification

Turns out former South Philly High principal LaGreta Brown was in good company.

Like Brown, who stepped down last week, 15 other Philadelphia School District administrators are not properly certified, officials announced yesterday.

Meanwhile, under a new district policy, any administrator lacking state certification must get emergency certification within 30 days or be fired, said district spokeswoman Evelyn Sample-Oates.

District officials launched a review of certificates of the district's 265 principals and assistant principals after news broke last week that Brown's principal certificate had been inactive since 2005.

"There is simply no excuse why the district did not properly monitor the certification expirations and requirements," Superintendent Arlene Ackerman said in a statement yesterday. "We failed to do our job in these cases and will take immediate steps to repair the process."

State law requires the district to monitor its employees' certificates.

Before, district officials trusted that new employees would complete their certifications. Not anymore, said Estelle Matthews, the district's human-resources chief, who said that she plans to run monthly certification checks .

Of the 15 administrators, six came to the district this year from other states and should have been provided with emergency certifications, which are valid for a year, the district said. The rest failed to keep state certifications current. Matthews said that all 15 have complied with the district's requests.

None deliberately withheld the fact that they lacked certification, Sample-Oates said.

Educators have to renew their certifications every five years, and can't work in the state without a certificate or an emergency permit - regardless of whether he or she has out-of-state credentials, said a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

However, state education officials added that those whose certificates are in danger of expiring are typically notified a year ahead of the certificates' being inactivated.

Brown's state principal and English certificates have been inactive since July 1, 2005, which prompted her abrupt resignation. They are inactive because she didn't comply with Act 48 requirements that public-school educators in Pennsylvania participate in ongoing professional education.

A district spokeswoman confirmed that Brown hadn't applied for an emergency permit since joining the district this school year.

District officials said that Brown agreed a couple of months ago to resign at the end of the school year due to the controversy over racially tinged attacks that erupted in December at South Philadelphia High.

She faced criticism for her handling of violence between Asian and black students on Dec. 2 and 3 that spurred a federal suit against the district and prompted students angry over the response to the attacks to stage a weeklong boycott.

Education advocates expressed concern that administrative decisions made by Brown during her tenure should be reconsidered.

Ackerman said yesterday that any administrative decisions Brown made - including teacher and student disciplinary referrals - would not be affected by her certification problem.

"Are they null and void? No," she said in an interview. "Good thing there is another level of hearings that teachers and students must go through that supports the process."

Otis D. Hackney III, now the principal of Springfield Township High, in Montgomery County, will take over July 1 as Brown's replacement.