Being an elected official in a city like Cranston comes with a great deal of attention and scrutiny.

Ward 5 representative Janice Ruggieri, the new chairwoman of the School Committee, is ready for the challenge.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Ruggieri moved to Cranston in 1999. She lives with her husband Matt, who graduated from Cranston High School West in 1985. Her two children – Ally, who is 17 and a senior at West, and Teddy, a sophomore who will be 16 in February – are her pride and joy.

Ruggieri is starting her fourth term on the committee, and her seventh year serving in public office. She first decided to run for office in 2008 when sixth-grade students were moved back to the city’s elementary schools.

Ruggieri was elected to chair the committee unanimously. She succeeds Andrea Iannazzi, the former chairwoman and Ward 6 representative who opted not to seek re-election and has since been named special counsel to Gov. Gina Raimondo. Ward 2 representative Stephanie Culhane was the unanimous pick for vice chairwoman.

Ruggieri said she was surprised and humbled by the nomination.

“I didn’t know if I could do it. I had to really think about it and make sure I could do the best job I could,” she said.

There are several pressing issues facing the committee. Superintendent Dr. Judith Lundsten will present her Cranston Public Schools budget for the coming year on Jan. 20 at Western Hills Middle School, with a pair of public hearings to follow later in the month.

With the forgiveness of the final installment of the so-called Caruolo debt owed by the schools to the city, the district is able to look forward positively. Ruggieri said she is very optimistic about the fiscal direction in which the district is moving.

“Without this giant albatross debt hanging over us, we can move forward in a positive way,” she said.

Asked about the committee’s major priorities, Ruggieri pointed to two specific goals – institution of an all-day kindergarten program, and the introduction of revised programs to restore what was lost to budget cuts in recent years.

Given the current situation in terms of space at the 17 elementary schools in Cranston, Ruggieri doesn’t believe getting all-day kindergarten in the district is possible for the upcoming school year.

“We are looking at lots of different scenarios – opening or closing schools, redistricting, changing bus lines, looking at all the pros and cons that these situations bring about,” she said.

Ruggieri said the case in favor of all-day kindergarten is clear.

“I’ve gotten lots of feedback from the community about this,” she said. “Students at this level need education that is content specific.”

Ruggieri also said she has heard from the principals at the middle school level that two years in a school is not enough time to forge real relationships with the students.

“We need to assure our teachers, students, parents and the community that we have a sustainable, fiscally prudent plan in place. We want to work out all the kinks, take care of any foreseeable problems before we go ahead with this,” she said.

If all goes according to plan, with complete funding from the state, all-day kindergarten will come to fruition for the 2016-17 school year.

“We are expecting an influx of 15 to 20 percent more students for all-day kindergarten from parochial and other schools,” Ruggieri said.

In order to get all-day kindergarten into each elementary building, Ruggieri said the district would have to hire another 17 teachers, as well as adjust art, gym, music and library times.

“We would also have to hire a few more support staff, but in the long term the effect will be positive. We are hoping to decrease the needs for services as students start to receive the appropriate services earlier in their education,” she said.

Regarding the restoration of programming, Ruggieri is insistent that the programs be established in such a way they cannot be cut again.

“We need to make sure they have sustainability. The programs will not look like they did in the past. They need to be cost-effective, curriculum-based and not a chopping block issue ever again,” she said.

Ruggieri was very clear that the committee members do not want the district to go backwards.

“It is not our goal to put the district back in shape like it was years ago. We need to do fiscally what is best for everyone involved while maintaining quality of education,” she said.

While the school system retains care and control of the actual school buildings, Ruggieri believes the city is responsible for the maintenance of its buildings.

“The city owns the buildings. They should take care of them structurally like they do all the other buildings they own,” she said.

In terms of the condition and age of many of the school buildings, there are areas that need to be addressed immediately. Ruggieri is working closely with the new director of plant operations, Edward Collins.

“His philosophy is to be proactive with problems instead of reactive,” she said.

All schools now have buzzers to announce anyone asking for entrance into a school.

“We had to make special accommodations for the high school buildings because the students pass between multiple buildings. We have the doors set on timers, so they are unlocked during passing periods and lock automatically when the time is up,” she said.

Another security measure that has been put into place is that all employees of the district must wear an ID on a lanyard.

“We have employees in the district that are not known to all students, staff or faculty in a school building. We want to make sure that they are identified as an employee of the district,” she said.

The school committee will also be addressing the renewal of the contract of the current superintendent.

“I believe [Lundsten] will be making her decision known shortly if she would like to stay on,” Ruggieri said.

“It would be very short sighted to just assume the next in line would automatically be appointed if the position became open,” she added.

Among the appointments that Ruggieri will be making are representatives to CEAB, SEAC, The Wellness Committee and Buildings, Parks and Recreation, as well as a legislative liaison and charter school representative.

“These are the standard ones, but we develop other subcommittees throughout the school year pending the needs,” she said.

Ruggieri is hoping to facilitate a stronger and more trusting relationship with the City Council.

“We need to have more understanding between the two entities. We both need to reach out and open the lines of communication,” she said.

“This is the time for all of us to grow. This is a hopeful new beginning that we have not had in a while. The burden of the debt has been removed, and so many issues that have derailed us away from the path of education. I want to look back and say that I made valuable and sustainable improvements to the district, and I have the satisfaction of a job well done.”

For complete information about the Cranston school department, check out www.cpsed.net.