Ackerman Maintains Politics Soured Her Tenure

Former Philadelphia school superintendent Arlene Ackerman, photographed during a 2009 meeting with advisers.

—Tom Gralish for Education Week/File

Philadelphia schools chief took $905,000 buyout

Arlene C. Ackerman kept mostly silent as rumors swirled this month over whether she was soon to leave the top leadership post in the Philadelphia school system after three years on the job.

But since the decision on her departure was made last week, Ms. Ackerman has been vocal about the reasons she says she was asked to leave the 155,000-student district. And while other city officials say they want to move on, Ms. Ackerman has offered her side of the story in interviews with Education Week and selected Philadelphia media outlets.

She says political land mines, not job-performance issues, soured her relationship with the mayor’s office and the School Reform Commission...