New Addition To Src

A fresh face, fresh ideas and fresh passion for urban education can clearly benefit the district. There are concerns, however.

Ramirez must be a visible, vocal presence on the board. She must assure parents and others that she is engaged and willing to listen to them on the issues.

That's something that Denise McGregor Armbrister, a Rendell nominee, has yet to do so far in her six-month tenure. It's time for Armbrister, who has shown little desire for public engagement, to step up and, like the other board members, become publicly accountable for her positions.

Another concern: Will Ramirez's Temple connection keep her from voting on educational-management organizations (EMO) issues? Temple runs an EMO. And Armbrister, whose husband, Clarence, is a senior vice president at Temple, abstained from a vote in June that renewed contracts for all the EMOs - some of which had poor track records - for another year. The SRC is too small to have too many members opting out of important votes.

We trust the Legislature will swiftly confirm Ramirez and she'll become a positive, potent presence on the board. *