Providence School Board to Appoint Acting Superintendent - Search Continues Under State Review
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
The Providence School Board is expected to appoint Dorothy Smith as the acting superintendent of Providence Schools.
The School Board agenda includes a vote on the appointment of Smith as the acting superintendent.
Smith is a 17-year employee of Department and currently serves the district as executive director for elementary education.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIf approved, Smith will fill the acting superintendent role on a short-term basis while the search for an interim superintendent is underway.
Maher Leaving -- Next Steps for Providence
In February, GoLocal reported that Chris Maher was resigning as Superintendent at the end of the school year — this Friday is his last day.
Providence Schools have had a series of controversies, including the shooting death of a student outside a school, an extended bus strike and extremely poor test results on the RICAS test results.
The search takes place under the backdrop of a possible takeover of the system by the State of Rhode Island. A comprehensive report by Johns Hopkins University is expected to be released on Tuesday.
The board has received over 60 applicants for the interim superintendent position, the posting for which closed last week. In-person interviews will be held over the next several weeks, and the board plans to appoint an interim superintendent in July.
As acting superintendent, Smith will provide continuity in the administration and management of the district, ensuring proper oversight of all district functions and operations until the board appoints an interim superintendent.
School Board President Nick Hemond said, “We are quite fortunate to have someone of Ms. Smith’s experience to lead the district. She will provide a steady hand and strong leadership as the board goes about completing the remainder of its search for an interim superintendent.”
Smith has held multiple positions leading schools and teams over the course of her tenure at PPSD. She started as assistant principal at Fortes Elementary, and was later appointed principal at Laurel Hill (Spaziano) Elementary.
She served as supervisor of K-8 where she provided leadership and guidance to school principals and staff, and oversaw the implementation of school improvement plans at turnaround schools as executive director of the office of transformation and innovation. She has oversight of 11 elementary schools as executive director for elementary education, the role she has held since 2012.
This story was first published 6/24/19 3:30 PM
