Deborah Gist new education commissioner for RI

Deborah Gist is the new RI Commissioner of Education. She started this job on July 1, 2009 and was appointed by the RI Board of Regents. She is sincere, energetic, curious and so far very active in the East Bay. To my knowledge she has visited this area twice for listening tours and once to quell fears of the H1N1 virus surrounding the death of Bristol's Victoria Sousa. 

She was recently the focus of a public forum in Warren set up as one of five across the state of RI to solicit ideas from citizens and to explain her goals and plans for education reform. She has questioned the idea of teacher seniority being the only method of advancement in our schools noting that placing emphasis on teacher excellence, innovation and performance should not be overlooked. Her statewide tours are part of information gathering for a Federal grant application called 'Race to the Top' - where millions of dollars in grant money if received can be used to aid RI education reform. If you would like to share ideas with Ms. Gist please go to her website. For more about her priorities and to view a short video, go to the commissioners website at:http://www.ride.ri.gov/Commissioner/