Former Controversial Central Falls Superintendent Gallo to be Named Interim in Prov UPDATED
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Former controversial Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo has been endorsed to be the interim Superintendent in Providence, the Providence School Board announced on Tuesday.
Gallo resigned from her position at Central Falls in January of 2015, as GoLocalProv reported.
Her resignation came just over three years after she received a vote of “No Confidence” from Central Falls teachers.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“Fran Gallo has a long and impressive record of leadership both in Providence schools and throughout Rhode Island, and is known for her ability to make tough decisions. She has experience at every level, from classroom teaching to administration, and in particular, has many years of experience in the Providence Public School District, and understands the needs of our students, teachers, staff, and facilities. Dr. Gallo values community input, and has a record of being accessible, engaging families and students, and incorporating community voice in her decisions as a school leader,” said Providence School Board President Nick Hemond.
“I am excited that Dr. Frances Gallo will be considered as interim superintendent for our Providence public schools. Dr. Gallo’s decades of experience, spanning service as a teacher to the highest levels of district administration, make her an incredibly qualified candidate. We have a lot of work do to provide our students’ the high-quality education they deserve and Dr. Gallo’s leadership will be critical moving forward,” said Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza.
Gallo's Central Falls Controversies
In 2011, GoLocal report about a series of issues in Central Falls under Gallo's tenure.
In May of 2011, GoLocal reported:
Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo this morning denied that teachers are being discouraged from reporting violent incidents to police.
She also disclosed new details about an assault by a student against a teacher at the Calcutt Middle School last week.
Gallo said the assault took place in a classroom reserved for students with “significant behavioral and academic challenges.” She said one student began to behave in a way that required that the teacher restrain him, using techniques that special ed staff have been trained to use. “Unfortunately, the teacher was injured in the process,” Gallo said.
Gallo becomes the second former Central Falls Superintendent to take a new position following Victor Capellan, who was appointed senior adviser to Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green last week, as GoLocalProv reported.
In another report, GoLocal found that top administrators were being paid, but had not worked in months.
Three top school administrators in Central Falls who have not been working for months are still on the payroll for the school district—two of them earning six-figure salaries, according to records obtained by GoLocalProv.
A copy of the payroll lists three administrators as receiving the following salaries—even though sources confirm they are no longer working in the district:
■ Joseph Rousseau, Principal at Captain Hunt Elementary School—$80,000
■ Elizabeth Legault, Principal at Central Falls High School—$105,500
■ Sonn Sam, Co-Principal at Central Falls High School—$100,000
The payroll list was provided by Finance Director Giovanna Venditti in response to a GoLocalProv request for a list of current employees and their salaries. But yesterday, a spokeswoman for the district said Sam and Rousseau had resigned in March of this year while Legault is currently on administrative leave. Sources tell GoLocalProv that Legault has been on leave since early October 2010.
Despite his resignation, Sam continues to earn as much as the current Principal at Central Falls High School, Evelyn Jones. And, even though she is on leave and has not been at work for most of the school year, Legault remains the highest-paid administrator at the school level—not counting the pay of district-wide administrators.
Officially, Sam resigned for “personal and family reasons,” according to a district news release. The district has not disclosed the reasons for why Rousseau resigned or why Legault was placed on administrative leave.
Yesterday, district spokeswoman Yaviri Grosso-Escalera was unable to provide an explanation for why Legault, Sam, and Rousseau are still listed on the payroll.
About Gallo
Gallo served as superintendent of Central Falls School District from 2007 until 2015.
Most recently, she has served as a senior advisor to the Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Charter Network.
Prior to that, Gallo served in a variety of capacities from 2002 to 2007 with Providence Schools, including deputy superintendent, transitional superintendent and chief of administration.
Prior to her work in Providence, Gallo served as superintendent of the Jamestown, RI, public school system.
She holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from Rhode Island College and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from NOVA University.
This story was first published 7/16/19 1:58 PM
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