Board of Rhode Island School for the Deaf may regain control

From the Providence Journal in R.I.:

State Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist says she will recommend returning full authority for the Rhode Island School for the Deaf to its board of trustees.

Last year, at Gist’s behest, the state Board of Regents put the school under the direct supervision of the state Department of Education, in part because of the instability of the board’s membership and a lack of managerial experience.

“The work [the trustees] have been doing together is very productive,” Gist told a work session of the Regents on Thursday morning.

Gist said all seven trustees have undergone 12 hours of training on board management and have worked together on strategic planning for the school, which is to open a new building in the fall.

Gist said she plans to make her recommendation at the next full meeting of the Regents on July 1. She said she will also submit the names of two people to fill existing vacancies on the nine-member board.

Gist acknowledged other problems at the school, which in recent years has been beset by low student achievement, turnover in the director’s office and a poor relationship between labor and management.

State education officials say they have overseen a review of the school’s programs and teacher qualifications in the last year to ensure that students get the courses they need to graduate.