Group to oversee creation of some charter schools
(From WPRI.com, March 11, 2009)
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) – Cumberland Mayor Daniel McKee has announced the formation of a nonprofit organization to oversee new, regional charter schools known as Mayoral Academies.
Rhode Island Mayoral Academies (RIMA) will oversee the establishment of Mayoral Academies, which were authorized by the General Assembly last year. Under the Mayoral Academy structure, the charter school will combine successful school administrators with the accountability of a mayor-led local governance.
Mayor McKee will serve as chair of the 12-member board of trustees. Five other board members have also been announced. They include: Dr. Martin West, an assistant professor of education, political science and public policy at Brown University; Ramon Martinez, president and CEO of Progreso Latino; Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform; Dick Lynch, former superintendent of the Smithfield School Department; and Norman E. Sandy McCulloch, Jr., a trustee of the McAdams Charitable Trust
The first Mayoral Academy is slated to open in Cumberland next year. It will be located in the former Our Lady of Fatima school building.