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State steps in to end dispute at School for Deaf
05/17/2003
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Education Commissioner Peter McWalters has decided to intervene in the Rhode Island School for the Deaf to help mend the deep rifts between teachers and the school's board of trustees.
McWalters will also launch a national search for a new director once Reginald Redding leaves at the end of the month. Redding, the school's first deaf director, who arrived amid much fanfare in 2001, was fired by the board of trustees in March. Despite repeated requests, both Redding and the trustees have refused to discuss the reasons behind his dismissal.
According to Jennifer Wood, the Rhode Island Department of Education's chief legal counsel, McWalters will send a team from his office to talk with the various players and try to resolve the misunderstandings that have turned board meetings into finger-pointing sessions.
Wood made it clear, however, that this was not the same sort of intervention that occurred at Hope High School in Providence last year, when McWalters called for a major reorganization of the school under his guidance.
The visiting team will not evaluate the School for the Deaf's academic programs, nor will it scrutinize teaching and learning methods. Rather, it will try to identify those issues that culminated in a faculty vote of no confidence in the director and the board of trustees this winter.
"We've been in quiet consultation with the chairman of the board right along," Wood said. "This is taking a more publicly active role."
In February, teachers sent a letter to McWalters asking him to address some of the troubling questions that have dismayed faculty and staff, but, according to one faculty member, they never got a response. In the letter, the staff cited a lack of leadership as among its chief concerns.
According to teachers, one of the nagging issues has been the way board meetings are run, from the failure to keep minutes to the amount of time spent in closed session.
To address those concerns, two staff members from the Department of Education will attend the meetings to help the board handle legal and administrative questions, including making sure that the trustees adhere to the Rhode Island Open Meetings Law.
Wood said McWalters has also promised to fill several long-standing vacancies that have interfered with the board's effectiveness. In late April, the trustees recommended four candidates to the commissioner. If the Board of Regents endorses those recommendations, Wood said those positions should be filled within 30 days.
Because of the vacancies, the trustees have had a hard time reaching and holding a quorum recently. Trustee Paul Tomasian resigned during the April 30 meeting, bringing the number of openings on the board to four.
At Wednesday's board meeting, chairman Maureen McEntee announced that the trustees had appointed an interim director. The board, however, apparently never took a formal vote on John Plante's appointment. McEntee said that the board discussed the matter informally before reaching a consensus.
According to Wood, "If the board did not formally make this decision, then no decision has been made."
She said there is no reason to appoint an interim director because the school has two assistant directors who are capable of managing the daily operation of the building.
Finally, the commissioner, not the board of trustees, has the authority to conduct a search for a new director, Wood said. At Wednesday's meeting, McEntee surprised members of the audience when she said that the trustees hadn't decided whether they would replace Redding, adding that those resources might be better used elsewhere.
McEntee said via e-mail that she had received a memo from McWalters yesterday but declined to comment on the actions until she had a chance to speak with Wood.
Dinaz Adenwalla , vice president of the teachers' union, and several outspoken members of the faculty, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20030517_sch17.d2079.html
05/17/2003
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Education Commissioner Peter McWalters has decided to intervene in the Rhode Island School for the Deaf to help mend the deep rifts between teachers and the school's board of trustees.
McWalters will also launch a national search for a new director once Reginald Redding leaves at the end of the month. Redding, the school's first deaf director, who arrived amid much fanfare in 2001, was fired by the board of trustees in March. Despite repeated requests, both Redding and the trustees have refused to discuss the reasons behind his dismissal.
According to Jennifer Wood, the Rhode Island Department of Education's chief legal counsel, McWalters will send a team from his office to talk with the various players and try to resolve the misunderstandings that have turned board meetings into finger-pointing sessions.
Wood made it clear, however, that this was not the same sort of intervention that occurred at Hope High School in Providence last year, when McWalters called for a major reorganization of the school under his guidance.
The visiting team will not evaluate the School for the Deaf's academic programs, nor will it scrutinize teaching and learning methods. Rather, it will try to identify those issues that culminated in a faculty vote of no confidence in the director and the board of trustees this winter.
"We've been in quiet consultation with the chairman of the board right along," Wood said. "This is taking a more publicly active role."
In February, teachers sent a letter to McWalters asking him to address some of the troubling questions that have dismayed faculty and staff, but, according to one faculty member, they never got a response. In the letter, the staff cited a lack of leadership as among its chief concerns.
According to teachers, one of the nagging issues has been the way board meetings are run, from the failure to keep minutes to the amount of time spent in closed session.
To address those concerns, two staff members from the Department of Education will attend the meetings to help the board handle legal and administrative questions, including making sure that the trustees adhere to the Rhode Island Open Meetings Law.
Wood said McWalters has also promised to fill several long-standing vacancies that have interfered with the board's effectiveness. In late April, the trustees recommended four candidates to the commissioner. If the Board of Regents endorses those recommendations, Wood said those positions should be filled within 30 days.
Because of the vacancies, the trustees have had a hard time reaching and holding a quorum recently. Trustee Paul Tomasian resigned during the April 30 meeting, bringing the number of openings on the board to four.
At Wednesday's board meeting, chairman Maureen McEntee announced that the trustees had appointed an interim director. The board, however, apparently never took a formal vote on John Plante's appointment. McEntee said that the board discussed the matter informally before reaching a consensus.
According to Wood, "If the board did not formally make this decision, then no decision has been made."
She said there is no reason to appoint an interim director because the school has two assistant directors who are capable of managing the daily operation of the building.
Finally, the commissioner, not the board of trustees, has the authority to conduct a search for a new director, Wood said. At Wednesday's meeting, McEntee surprised members of the audience when she said that the trustees hadn't decided whether they would replace Redding, adding that those resources might be better used elsewhere.
McEntee said via e-mail that she had received a memo from McWalters yesterday but declined to comment on the actions until she had a chance to speak with Wood.
Dinaz Adenwalla , vice president of the teachers' union, and several outspoken members of the faculty, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20030517_sch17.d2079.html
