NEW: Gist’s Contract is Extended
Thursday, June 06, 2013
The State Board of Education voted today to renew Education Commissioner Deborah Gist's contract. This is a win for Governor Lincoln Chafee who was able to keep the balance between education reform moving forward and keeping controls on the process.
Gist will continue under a two-year contract with a minimal 2% increase each year. The agreement assures that the critical Race to the Top initiative is properly managed.
Gist, who was appointed in 2009, had received support from U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, as well as the Board of Education Chair Eva Mancuso.
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Gist, who had the backing from both members of the business community as well as several school committees, also had vocal opposition from teachers unions, as well as students.
On April 30, the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI) and the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Profressionals issued a release stating that 85% of teachers believed the Commissioner's contract should not be renewed.
The Providence Student Union (PSU) had called on Gist to debate the use of NECAP test scores as a graduation requirement, which the Commissioner declined.
Gist's record in achieving stated goals had also come into question leading up to contract negotiations. GoLocal's Stephen Beale reported on how the Rhode Island Department of Education, at the behest of Gist, had set 33 targets for statewide student performance, the majority related to closing the achievement gap -- and that in 2012, the state reached just one out of those 33 targets: 75.7 percent of high school graduates finished one year of college within two years of enrolling in it. The goal for that year had been 65 percent.
Pursuant to the findings, RIDE spokesman Elliot Krieger said, “Our biggest challenge remains the persistent achievement gaps. In 2009, Commissioner Gist established the very ambitious goal of reducing achievement gaps by 50 percent by 2015. We have made progress on closing many of these achievement gaps, but certainly not at the rate we need to see to meet the 2015 goals.”
