Photo by James Short.
A protest, petition, and multiple speakers voiced concern against the process, which many claimed was too quick and not transparent.
It may be Election Day Eve across the country, but there was a local battle brewing that was far more the focus of many Wissahickon residents last night. And despite a public outcry against the choice, the Wissahickon Board of School Directors left its Monday night meeting with a new superintendent in place.
As previously covered by Wissahickon Now, the Wissahickon School District’s Superintendent James Crisfield announced in a release on Tuesday, Oct. 1 that he’d be retiring after this school year. The public meeting on Sept. 30 of the Board of Directors had made it clear this was not new news to its members, and that the board had gone into Crisfield’s next contract knowing he would likely only serve the first year of its offer.
In the same meeting on Sept. 30, the board announced his departure and that its members had already selected a replacement, the district’s assistant superintendent, Dr. Mwenyewe Dawan.
“Now, as a board, we need to move forward,” said School Board President Amy Ginsburg in the Sept. 30 Public Work Session, held the same day that Crisfield’s letter for retirement was officially made public. “Fortunately, this board has given much thought to a succession planning.”
“Over 75 percent of Fortune500 companies promote CEOs from within the organization,” said Ginsburg at the time. “And internal candidates fill anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of senior leadership roles in educational institutions.”
Community members took to the public comment session of the school board’s following public meeting on Oct. 7 to voice concerns over what many said was a “lack of process” around the selection of a new superintendent.
According to board policy, the board is permitted to determine its own process when it comes to replacing a superintendent.
“The Board shall actively seek the best qualified and most capable candidate for the position of Superintendent,” says the policy. “The Board will determine the processes through which it will seek applicants for the position of Superintendent. Among the options the Board may consider are the option of conducting a targeted search for preselected candidates and the option of engaging the services of a professional consultant.”
Claiming that the directors had held several executive session discussions, not to mention interviews with each of them with Dr. Dawan, the board stood its ground, as legal counsel backed up the choice, stating that no law was broken in its decision-making process.
Ahead of the Nov. 4 public meeting of the board, Wissahickon Now was sent a press release from a newly formed organization calling itself “The Wissahickon School District Stakeholders,” stating that the group planned to protest the decision at 6 p.m., ahead of the meeting’s 7 p.m. start.
The same group said it was largely responsible for a Change.org petition, which began on Oct. 1, which states its goal was to “urge Wissahickon School Board to conduct a fair, transparent superintendent search.” To date, the petition had 366 signatures.
Stating the board is “bound by their oath of office to conduct a fair, rigorous, equitable, and transparent candidate search” for the replacement, the parents, families, and community members undersigned wanted to voice their concerns for the seemingly rapid and non-transparent method of selecting such a crucial role for the school district’s leadership.
The press release from the WSDS notes that the lack of a process is one of its biggest concerns.
“As community stakeholders, we remain in opposition to the Board’s autocratic, secretive, and misguided action and inaction, including its undisclosed proposed employment agreement,” said the group’s statement. “We demand that this board solicit public input to develop a profile and solicit applicants in order to consider multiple candidates and find the best qualified, and most capable for the Superintendent position.”
Some concerned community members have also cited that nearby Lower Merion School District, who also is required to seek a new superintendent, has conducted a public survey, posted several updates, and has even formed a Focus Group made up of “parents, guardians, and community” members. Posts and updates have been released on its public-facing website since May 2, 2024.
The board of school directors opted to start the Nov. 4 public meeting with a presentation from the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit’s (MCIU)’s executive director, Regina Speaker.
Speaker said that she’d been involved in many of the county’s key leadership searches, including the one for Wissahickon’s current assistant superintendent, Dawan.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work with her in Chester County,” said Speaker. “She is a well respected leader in the Southeastern Region.”
The executive director went on to endorse Dawan publicly and to also “welcome her into this leadership position.”
Also prior to public comment, at the start of Ginsburg’s presidential report, the board’s leader rattled off a list of Dawan’s accomplishments that she had achieved already in her short time with Wissahickon School District.
“Your passion is apparent,” Ginsburg said of both those physically and virtually attending the meeting. “Not everyone knows Dr. Dawan as well as the board does. We’ve worked with her for four years.”
In addition to twice monthly public meetings and once monthly committee meetings, Ginsburg said that she had plenty of accomplishments, including being a “pivotal contributor to the school district’s strategic plan,” as well as her work in updating the English Language Arts program. Ginsburg said that Dawan assisted in carving out the CARES funding to permit assistance for the kindergarten program, focused on students impacted by COVID-19.
Additionally, Ginsburg continued, she credited Dawan with work hiring two elementary school principals, as well as establishing the vice principals at each of the elementary level buildings. She denoted her work in mental health, coordinating services with the Department of Health and promoting a “positive school culture across the district.”
But it was not the list of the candidate’s accomplishments that the public’s commenters seemed to want to hear. The first to speak on behalf of the frustrated community members was a person with a rather unique perspective. Amy Hughes, council member on Ambler’s Borough Council representing Ward 1, spoke about her concerns as both a resident of the school district, but also as a public board member.
“I am disheartened and saddened,” said Hughes. “All of this could have been handled so much better. Dr. Dawan could have been set up for success so much better.”
Hughes said she is familiar with how much can happen behind closed doors, noting she knows that, as a board, “you have had months to come to this decision.”
“We have had no time,” said Hughes of the public’s perspective. “It was done in two sentences: ‘One is out,’ and ‘Next one is in.’ This doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.”
Hughes questioned the board’s seemingly accelerated pace at naming a new hire so quickly after announcing to the public Crisfield’s retirement.
“This didn’t have to be rushed,” she said. “This could have been a little more strategic. It could have been announced and followed up. You could have given the reasons why a search wasn’t in the best interest of the school district.”
Instead, Hughes said that the choice was “thrown at the community.”
Next to speak on the matter was Carmina Taylor, the branch president of the Ambler NAACP. A 1989 graduate of Wissahickon High School herself, Taylor was inducted to the district’s Alumni Hall of Fame in 2023.
Taylor began her public comment with a list of question for board members, including asking when the MCIU was involved in Dawan’s hiring process, when the board knew about Crisfield’s retirement, when they’d decided to promote Dawan, and what, if any, other candidates were considered.
“I think it is really rich we’re hearing tonight, a list of accomplishments that Dawan has accomplished, when we did not receive these before Dr. Crisfield’s retiring,” said Taylor.
Taylor said that the variety of community members that have come forward, concerned over this decision, should alarm the board.
“All of these people are here,” said Taylor of the room-filling crowd at the Nov. 4 meeting. “We brought different segments of our community for one single issue, and you’re still proceeding with this vote. These are their children, and not just yours.”
Despite a petition, the live protest prior to the meeting, and pubic commenters again during Nov. 4’s meeting, the board of school directors held a roll call vote on the matter immediately following public comment.
Dawan will be the next superintendent in the district. Each of the nine board members voted “yes” to Resolution W-12-24, the election of District Superintendent. Dr. Mwenyewe Dawan will serve “in the capacity of District Superintendent” beginning on July 1, 2025, and ending on June 20, 2030.
A five-year contract is the longest permissible for such a hire. The contract’s official signing date will be Nov. 4, 2024.
