NEW: Gist To Begin Contract Negotiations with Tulsa
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
In a statement released by Education Commissioner Deborah Gist on Tuesday night, she announced that she had agreed to enter into negotiations to become the Superintendent of Schools for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Earlier in the evening, the Tulsa School Board voted to authorize contract negotiations with Gist. “I have enthusiastically agreed to begin these negotiations,” Gist stated.
The full text of her statement follows:
This was a difficult decision for me, as I am proud of all that we have accomplished together in Rhode Island over the past six years. I love this state and the people I've come to know, and I am excited about the opportunities that lie before us as we develop our next 5-year strategic plan. Nevertheless, inspired by the great work we've done, I welcome the opportunity to lead an urban school district – in particular the district in the city where I was raised and where my family resides. I know that Rhode Islanders can certainly recognize the attraction we have to our hometowns, and it would be a special honor for me to lead the district where I attended public school throughout my childhood. I would leave Rhode Island knowing that we have a great team in place at the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and that we have strong support for improving student learning and achievement and for transforming education. Governor Raimondo has strongly supported our work and the entire RIDE team, and I have unwavering confidence in her leadership—including specifically on education. We have also enjoyed strong support from our legislators and from the Board of Education. I am grateful for this commitment and for the kind words and expressions of support I have received throughout my service as Commissioner of Education from so many Rhode Island students, parents, educators, and other friends of education.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTI plan to spend the next few days in Tulsa, and I will return to Rhode Island before next week. Current Tulsa Superintendent Ballard retires at the end of June, so I will continue serving as Commissioner for the near future and I plan to work with Governor Raimondo, the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education and the Board of Education to develop a transition plan for new leadership at RIDE.
Gist has been Education Commissioner in Rhode Island since 2009. In 2010, she was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 who impact our world.
As GoLocalProv reported in December of 2014, her contract and future beyond June 30, 2015 was in doubt. "By law, we can only do 3 year contracts," said Rhode Island Board of Education Chair Eva Mancuso (in a December interview with GoLocalProv). "With the current contract, the sentiment from Chafee was he didn't want to extend contracts past his tenure, and it didn't make sense to do a year a and a half. That was his philosophy. Raimondo might feel that 3 years works. As chair, we know enough about Gist, that you either give her three years, or nothing. There's no in-between."
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