Superintendent Katrina McCombs of Camden City Public Schools just announced she will leave in June to take a position as Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood Services.

This position has been filled by Cary Booker (Cory’s brother), who will now move to the Governor’s Office as a senior advisor.

McCombs, who for seven years has served as the top administrator in one of New Jersey’s most troubled school districts, wrote in a letter to the community first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer,

I am writing to inform you, the esteemed staff members, families, and community members of the Camden City School District that effective July 1, 2025, I will no longer serve as State District Superintendent of Camden City Schools. This decision was not made lightly; however, I feel that after seven years of leading the district through both areas of great progress and times of challenge, it was the right time for me to consider a transition. As such, I have accepted the position of Acting Assistant Commissioner of Education for the New Jersey Department of Education that will begin after my contract as Superintendent ends. In this position, I plan to continue advocating for strong, equitable educational opportunities for students across our state, including our great City of Camden.

Twelve years ago NJ State Department of Education took over the district due to student to outcomes so dismal that 23 of the Camden City School District’s 26 schools ranked in the bottom 5 percent of the state, the high school graduation rate was 49 percent, and a total of three high school students scored “college-ready” on the SAT’s. Then-Governor Chris Christie appointed Paymon Rouhanifard as superintendent; McCombs, who has spent almost her entire career in Camden, was his assistant. When he left, Gov. Phil Murphy appointed her in his stead.

While McCombs has been highly regarded for her leadership, as well as her agnosticism towards which public school (district, renaissance, charter) parents choose for their children, this has been a tough year: The district was ordered to pay $2 million in a settlement after advisory board president Wasim Mohammed was accused of sexually assaulting students. Half of the city’s students are enrolled in non-district public schools. According to the most recent data from the DOE, only 10.7% of students in district schools are proficient in reading and fewer are proficient in math. Average SAT scores are 408 in reading and 387 in math, putting Camden City students at the bottom of national averages.

According to the DOE press release, McCombs’ departure was by “mutual agreement.

“I would like to thank Superintendent McCombs for her exemplary leadership in Camden City School District over the past seven years,” Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer said. “Superintendent McCombs’s service to the students of Camden City over nearly thirty years exemplifies the dedication of a true lifelong educator. Superintendent McCombs will be an asset to the Division of Early Childhood Services.”