Janice Ruggieri has resigned from the Cranston School Committee, bringing an end to a tenure that included more than a decade representing Ward 5 and several years as the committee’s chairwoman.

“I am leaving now because I feel that my voice is no longer being heard and I am unable to represent my district effectively. I will continue to advocate from the other side of the table for improvements to the district and to the city of Cranston,” said Ruggieri, who submitted her letter of resignation to the school district’s legal counsel prior to the committee’s meeting on Monday. “I look forward to seeing the continuing changes planned for Cranston Public Schools and I am thankful for the role I had in helping them come about for the future.”

Ruggieri’s resignation marks the second departure from the committee in recent months. Stephanie Culhane, who represented Ward 2, stepped down over the summer, citing her move to a new home in Ward 1.

The committee subsequently appointed Kristen Haroian to fill the Ward 2 seat. A new election was not needed because Culhane’s departure came more than six months after the most recent vote. The process used to fill that seat involved the committee seeking applications from interested candidates and conducting interviews before making a selection to serve the remainder of the term.

On Tuesday, Dan Wall – who succeeded Ruggieri as the committee’s chair and represents Ward 6 – said the same process will be used to fill the Ward 5 seat, although no specific timeline has been established. He also thanked Ruggieri for her work on the committee.

“I appreciate her time and commitment over the past 11 years … I wish her well in her future endeavors,” he said.

Ruggieri spoke about her tenure on the committee. She said she initially became involved and ran for office due to concerns over the community not being adequately heard regarding the move of the sixth grade to the elementary level.

“For the past 11 years I have proudly served on the Cranston School Committee. As a member I have worked tirelessly to meet the demands of our ever-changing educational landscape,” she said. “Aside from the regular duties I also headed the Wellness Committee where I worked with a Statewide coalition to create state wellness policies, I served on the Special Education Advisory Board, the Cranston Educational Advisory Board, the City and School Buildings Safety Committee, and the Full Day Kindergarten subcommittee which helped to bring full-day kindergarten to Cranston, to name a few. I was proud to serve as the chair of this committee for six years.”

Ruggieri said she has written dozens of policies for the district and has overseen the update and reworking of all policies.

“I have worked on improving the quality of food being served to our students with our food service providers. I have sat on countless negotiating teams helping to bring fair and fiscally responsible contracts to fruition with all of our unions,” she said. “I have proudly worked through the darkest times that this district faced to get to where we are today, and I had hoped to continue to work to help improve this district.”

Ruggieri said that as the representative for Ward 5, she feels she has been responsive to constituents, fellow political officials and anyone who has reached out with a concern, question or problem.

“You may not have always liked my answer but you got an accurate and thorough response,” she said.

Ruggieri also said she is proud of the relationships she has built with city and state officials.

“We may not have agreed on the issues but we were able to work together for the benefit of all,” she said.