Changes in store for local, state educational leadership

Posted 2/10/15

As the state and its various school districts continue to grapple with hot-button issues such as curriculum, high-stakes testing and school choice, some significant changes are in store in terms of …

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Changes in store for local, state educational leadership

Posted

As the state and its various school districts continue to grapple with hot-button issues such as curriculum, high-stakes testing and school choice, some significant changes are in store in terms of educational leadership.

Deborah Gist, the state’s education commissioner, is poised to become the new superintendent of schools in her hometown of Tulsa, Okla., after that city’s School Board last week voted to offer her the job. Her contract in Rhode Island runs through June, coinciding with the retirement date of Tulsa’s current schools chief.

Gist is a nationally known figure, and her tenure in the Ocean State has frequently been polarizing. She oversaw the state’s $75 million federal Race to the Top grant, implemented a new educational funding formula for local districts and oversaw significant improvements in the state’s graduation rate. She has also drawn the ire of teachers’ unions, with her support for charter schools, test-based graduation requirements and controversial teacher evaluations among the top complaints.

Gov. Gina Raimondo has said the search for Gist’s successor will begin in the “coming weeks” and pledged to involve “parents, teachers, students, school leaders and superintendents across the state” in the process to determine “the characteristics needed in our next commissioner to best serve our students and ensure a smooth transition.” The new governor has already filled several key posts in her administration with people from outside the state, making it quite possible that Rhode Island may again go beyond its borders for a new education chief.

The news of Gist’s impending departure came as Raimondo announced nominations to the state’s Board of Education. Barbara Cottam of Providence, the executive vice president for Citizens Financial Group, is set to become the board’s chair, replacing the departing Eva-Marie Mancuso. Jim Karam of Tiverton, Marta V. Martinez of Warwick and Betsy Shimberg of Providence have also been nominated to join the board, with the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Williams of Cranston re-nominated by the governor.

The new board members, and the eventual choice to succeed Gist, will face several key challenges, from a renewed public debate on school choice to the continued need to create an educational environment that is truly inclusive and prepares our children to effectively compete in the 21st century economy.

Additionally looming is the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, test, which is due to arrive in Rhode Island in March. Gist has been a strong proponent of the test, while many teachers and parents have been critical.

Changes are also in store for local districts. Dr. Judith Lundsten, superintendent of the Cranston Public Schools, is set to retire in June. That development was not unexpected, but the search for her successor will be worth watching.

Cranston’s schools have seemingly turned a corner after several years of deep fiscal difficulties. If there is one issue that unites all the community’s constituencies, it is a desire to see a continuation of progress for the school system and a restoration of vital programming previously lost to budget cuts.

In Warwick, the School Committee is in the midst of interviews for the superintendent’s post in its district. Two candidates are presently known: current Superintendent Richard D’Agostino and William McCaffrey, director of the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center. There are seven hopefuls in all.

The committee’s decision to open up the search process and recent comments from Mayor Scott Avedisian indicate a degree of dissatisfaction with the district’s current leadership, or at least an eagerness to consider other options.

However the committee proceeds, both its members and the pick for superintendent will face a number of ongoing issues, including the controversial – and long delayed – matter of consolidating school buildings in light of declining enrollment.

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  • sadforspeced

    When you consider continuing with D'Agostino there are many things that get in the way of having him become the next superintendent in Warwick. Two areas are of extreme importance - his anger management issues and his not responding to phone calls or emails. Communication and personal interaction with others are two basic hallmarks by which we should measure leadership.

    Sunday, February 15, 2015 Report this