Committee confirms Crowley as new East Providence Schools Superintendent

EAST PROVIDENCE — At a special session held Monday evening, Nov. 16, in the Elmasian Auditorium at East Providence High School before an audience of about 100, the School Committee unanimously approved the hiring of Kathryn Crowley as the new superintendent to replace the retiring Kim Mercer.

Mrs. Crowley, who recently resigned from the same position at the helm of the Little Compton district, was hired on a 5-0 vote following two official interview sessions, including one held publicly November 10. Ward 3 member Nate Cahoon made the motion to approve, which was quickly seconded and voted upon. At-Large member Joel Monteiro then presented Mrs. Crowley with a windbreaker in the red and white colors of East Providence High School.

Mrs. Crowley was supported Monday by family, including her husband Joe, friends and colleagues. Of her husband, who is the executive director of the Rhode Island Association of School Principals, she added, “He’s my calming force.”

Three members of the Little Compton School Committee — Chairman Thomas Allder, Peg Bugara and Lori Craffey — and the Town Council Chairman Robert Mushen were also in attendance. Calling them “partners,” Mrs. Crowley thanked the Little Compton officials for their support during her tenure there.

On why she was the best choice for the East Providence job, Mrs. Crowley said, “I think I have good people skills, No. 1. I’ve built relationships over the years. I have a lot of curriculum knowledge, and I think curriculum and assessment are two very important issues now. I have a lot of networking in the state. I’ve been around for a long time. I think that’s important. I think I can be a cheerleader for the district out there.”

Mrs. Crowley sits on the board of the Rhode Island Superintendents Association, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and on the legislative committee for the Superintendents Association.

“I’m very active. I keep my hands on the pulse of what’s happening in the (State) House of Representatives and the Senate as far as educational issues are concerned,” she added.

While not confirmed, it is believed Mrs. Crowley will receive a three-year contract in the neighborhood of about $150,000 per, which represents approximately $5,000 more than the salary currently being paid to Mrs. Mercer. The specifics and the parameters of the agreement were not made known Monday.

Mrs. Crowley was selected over Celeste Bowler, the other finalist to appear at the November 10 interview session and who is the assistant superintendent for the Hamilton-Wenham regional district in northeastern Massachusetts. She takes over for the retiring Mrs. Mercer, hired by the former state-appointed Budget Commission in the spring of 2013. The latter announced her decision to step away this past summer after nearly three years on the job. Mrs. Mercer’s duties officially end on December 30 of this year, though she is expected to help Mrs. Crowley through a period of transition in the coming days and weeks.

Mrs. Crowley said she expects Little Compton to soon hire an interim superintendent then seek to fill the position permanently after the first of the new year. She plans on working two days a week there to help in Little Compton’s transition and three days in East Providence over next three to four weeks.

“I thought it looked challenging,” Mrs. Crowley added of the position in city. “Little Compton was only a part-time position and I thought I may have retired a but too early, so I was looking for the challenge. I saw this, I talked to a few people and I was familiar with it because my uncle (former Martin Junior High School principal) Frank Saracino was here for years. So I decided to apply for the position. And I felt I could help. I looked at the needs of the district, the job description and thought it was a good fit. And I’m anxious to get to work.”

Asked for their rationale behind the decision, each of the five Committee members in some fashion cited Mrs. Crowley’s hefty resume as being a key factor.

“Kathryn Crowley has the mandatory experience and ability to hit the ground running here in East Providence without missing a beat,” said Chairman Charlie Tsonos. “She brings additional ideas to the table, which will benefit the district.”

Said Mr. Monteiro, “I think looking at all the hurdles we face currently and over the next three years, her experience and perceived access to resources are going to play a very important role in the district. We have a lot of moving pieces here, and through the first round of interviews and the buzz she generated, I only heard good things from people I respect in the district, which was comforting and reassuring.”

“She was my No. 1 choice going in from the time we posted the announcement. She had the requisite experience and first-hand knowledge we were looking for from the group of 22 candidates,” said Mr. Cahoon. “I wanted someone who wasn’t going to run the district by the RIDE (Rhode Island Department of Education) book. I want someone who is going to follow the law, but runs the district the way it should be run.”

Ward 2 member Tony Ferreira added,”She is up-beat and seems like she takes control, which is how I am. When I saw her sit back in her chair and flip her pen (during the public interview), I felt like she was in charge, which is what I liked about her. She’s been around and she knows what she’s doing.”

And Ward 4 member Jessica Beauchaine said, “I think she has the experience we need to take the school district in the right direction going forward. She has a lot of knowledge. She knows the Rhode Island system. She’s been a part of the system for many years. I think she’s going to be able to find the resources we need through the state and City Council so we can move up from the 42 percent we fund the schools now.”

Mrs. Crowley is a former principal at Mt. Hope High School in Bristol and was an assistant superintendent for Johnston Schools, from which she retired in 2010. She is a Cranston resident. She will be charged with helping to bolster an E.P. district whose test scores have lagged and where morale continues to rebound from a disharmonious recent past.

“I will be looking at student achievement. Those test scores are below the state average. We’re really going to have an ‘all kids’ agenda. We’re going to focus on achievement,” Mrs. Crowley said. “And then I think I’m going to focus on the culture. I really think we need to bring this ‘Townie Pride’ back to where it was. As a result of what happened several years ago with the budget situation and the teachers, it takes its toll on people. So I would like to build that culture back up.”

According to the government watchdog group Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity (riopengov.org/state-pensions/), Mrs. Crowley earns an annual retirement of approximately $87,000. Her salary as the part-time Little Compton superintendent was roughly $60,000. She will no longer be able to collect her pension while serving in a full-time position in East Providence.

Mrs. Crowley joins an administrative team in transition. City resident Dr. Sandra Forand was recently promoted from the Martin Middle School principal to the position of assistant superintendent, replacing Julie Motta who resigned over the summer.

Eileen Crudele remains as Director of Pupil Personnel/Special Education, but she is expected to leave the district before her three-year contract expires in the spring. The contract of Director of Operations Diana Clarkin expired last month. She remains in the position at the same rate of pay in an at-will capacity. Likewise, Tony Feola is serving as the interim Facilities Director, a decision on the status of his stay in that position is to be determined.

And there is a need to hire a new curriculum director to replace Dawn August, who resigned the post in October. That position, however, may revert to being one of an assistant superintendent. Mrs. Bowler also applied for the assistant position and indications are she may be considered for the job going forward if in fact the duties are changed. The contract of administrative assistant Pat Iannelli was recently extended through the calendar year 2016.

“I think Sandy is a great fit. I’m looking to working with her. The director of curriculum is also open. We’re going to look at the job description so that position will have an emphasis on elementary,” Mrs. Crowley said. “I think we’ll have a nice balance. Sandy and I are secondary and middle. Hopefully we can find a balance there by hiring someone with core elementary expertise.”