Longtime Camden educator named interim superintendent by state
Davida Coe-Brockington, a longtime Camden educator, will serve as interim school superintendent. The state is searching for a permanent replacement for Katrina McCombs, the outgoing superintendent.
A longtime Camden educator and principal has been named the district’s acting state-appointed superintendent, state Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer announced Thursday.
Dehmer said he would recommend Davida Coe-Brockington to the state Board of Education, which meets next week. She would begin her new duties July 1 and will serve as interim schools chief until the state names a permanent successor for outgoing Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs.
In making the highly anticipated announcement, Dehmer said Coe-Brockington “has strong roots in Camden City School District, having devoted her career to strengthening the school community in Camden and delivering meaningful outcomes for students, making her well-positioned to lead Camden’s schools forward.”
A former Camden High English teacher, Coe-Brockington has been principal of Creative Arts High school since it opened in 1999. She has spent 30 years in the district.
She also has worked as an elementary school teacher and curriculum supervisor in the district. She previously was an assistant superintendent. She is also president of the Camden City Principals and Supervisors Association.
Coe-Brockington could not be reached for comment. A district spokesperson referred an inquiry to the New Jersey Department of Education.
It was not immediately clear who would replace Coe-Brockington at Creative Arts, one of the district’s three magnet schools.
As part of a massive restructuring to close a $91 million budget gap, McCombs announced in April that Coe-Brockington would oversee Creative Arts and the three other schools at the Camden High complex, Brimm Medical Arts, Camden High and the Big Picture Learning Academy.
McCombs is leaving Camden for a state role after seven years as superintendent. Her contract was not renewed and expires Monday.
McCombs’ tenure in Camden began publicly unraveling in November after five top city officials, including Mayor Victor Carstarphen, asked the state to remove her. She has been the state-appointed superintendent since 2018.
The officials said in a letter they wanted “a fresh direction” for the district, which has been under state intervention since 2013. Camden currently is New Jersey’s only state-run school system
There was speculation that McCombs has been targeted because she called for former school advisory board President Wasim Muhammad to resign after a civil sex abuse scandal involving a former student when Muhammad was a teacher.
» READ MORE: The embattled Camden school advisory board president has resigned after months of protests
After weeks of professing his innocence and vowing to stay on the board, Muhammad stepped down shortly after her public call for him to step down. Muhammad and Carstarphen are close friends.
McCombs called her departure “bittersweet,” but has rebuffed accusations that she is leaving the district in disarray. She has worked in the district for 30 years.
She announced in April a sweeping plan to cut nearly 300 jobs, from classroom teachers to central administration roles, because of the budget shortfall. About 117 people are losing their jobs, effective July 1.
McCombs made her final public appearance at graduation ceremonies earlier this week. She begins a position as an assistant state education commissioner July 1.
The state has launched a national search for a Camden superintendent, led by Hazard Young Attea Associates, The state is paying the firm $45,000, according to an invoice obtained by The Inquirer under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act.
Dehmer will select the new superintendent with approval from the state Board of Education, because the district is state-run.
The state has said a superintendent would be selected by September and would tentatively start Nov. 1.
Coe-Brockington is not believed to be a candidate for the job. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Widener University, along with two master degrees.
According to the job listing, the superintendent will be paid between $200,000 and $250,000 annually to run the district, which has about 7,000 students enrolled in 16 schools.
The new superintendent inherits a troubled school system that has been plagued for years by failing test scores, chronic absenteeism and a high dropout rate. The district must meet performance benchmarks to return to local control, which could take years.