This story was originally published by The Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Pennsylvania Education Secretary Khalid Mumin will resign from his position in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s cabinet next month, the governor’s office announced Friday afternoon.
Mumin was confirmed in June 2023 about six months after Shapiro took office and has presided over some of the administration’s early successes such as increasing funding for K-12 public schools by $1.5 billion over the last two budgets and providing free breakfast for 1.7 million public school students.
Mumin will resign Dec. 6 and Executive Deputy Secretary of Education Angela Fitterer will take over as interim secretary. A statement from Shapiro’s office did not say why Mumin is stepping down.
Shapiro said in a statement that Mumin has dedicated his life and career to ensuring that Pennsylvania children have a quality education that sets them up for success.
“He has led the Pennsylvania Department of Education with passion and integrity. I am grateful for his service to Pennsylvania’s students and educators and wish him great success in his future endeavors,” Shapiro said.
Mumin said it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as education secretary.
“I began my career as a teacher in a classroom, and those early experiences watching students get excited about learning inspired me to become a principal, a superintendent, and ultimately Secretary of Education, so I could continue to fight for those students to get more support and more opportunities,” Mumin said. “I’m so grateful to Governor Shapiro for this opportunity to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Education and help build a bright future for Pennsylvania’s students and educators.”
State Sen. David Argall (R-Schuylkill), chairman of the Legislature’s education committee, said he wished Mumin the best and added, “I look forward to working with Acting Secretary Fitterer and the governor’s nominee to improve our education system, from Pre-K to graduate school.”
Before Shapiro tapped Mumin for his cabinet, he served as superintendent of the Lower Merion school district in Montgomery County. Mumin, who began his career as a classroom teacher in the Franklin County community of Scotland in 1997, also has served as superintendent of the Reading public schools.
Mumin’s tenure coincided with the resolution of a decade of litigation over the state’s public education funding formula, which a group of school districts, parents and advocates argued put students in less wealthy areas at a disadvantage because of its reliance on property taxes.
A Commonwealth Court judge ordered Shapiro and the General Assembly in February 2023 to correct the inequities and a interbranch commission found the state needed to invest $5.4 billion in underfunded schools to bring them up to par with the state’s most successful school districts.
This year’s budget includes about $526 million toward that goal, but lawmakers were unable to reach a compromise that would guarantee future installments to close the gap.
Shapiro also touted the education department’s success in strengthening career and technical education programs, investments in student mental health, repairs for schools and providing free menstrual products for students.
The governor’s office also credited Mumin with bringing together higher education leaders together to rethink higher education in Pennsylvania, establishing a state Board of Higher Education to provide more support for public universities and make college education more affordable.
