Parent and Community Advisory Council Reaches Out to School Communities

Parent and Community Advisory Council (PCAC) Members have actively approached their role as liaisons between the city’s school communities and the Board of Education. Since the school year began, Council Members have engaged in Board work, served as trusted channels of communication and supported community drives for food, clothes and holiday toys.

To begin with, Council Members have participated in the Superintendent Search by joining and hosting listening sessions and by leading community conversations to gather feedback on the qualities constituents would like to see in a new Superintendent. In addition, PCAC Member Christiana Uy is serving on the Superintendent Search Advisory Committee, composed of diverse stakeholders from across the city, tasked with reviewing potential candidates for the Superintendent position. A search for a new Superintendent is currently underway as Superintendent William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D., announced last fall that, after 10 years of service, he will transition from this role at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

PCAC Members have also engaged in Board work by asking questions and sharing information about Action Items, as part of the Board’s public Action Item review process, and have provided testimony at the Board’s November Policy Committee meeting. In addition, the Council has responded to public outreach and questions by sharing current information on many important issues, including vaccines, report card conferences, the new school selection process for special admission schools and staffing shortages. Beyond their Board work, PCAC Members have participated in community food, winter coat and holiday toy drives across the city.

Lastly, Council Member Quibila Divine, an active member of her school community who has long advocated for a new Thomas M. Peirce School facility, fittingly participated in the groundbreaking ceremony on December 8th for a new Peirce elementary school in North Philadelphia.

“The Parent and Community Advisory Council is a group of energetic individuals who are parents and caregivers, community stakeholders, faith-based leaders and former educators who are dedicated to the education of our children,” said Board Member Cecelia Thompson, who serves as the Board Liaison to PCAC. “The Board sincerely thanks all Council Members for their volunteer work to improve public education in Philadelphia.”