Receiver Named For Lawrence Schools
LAWRENCE (AP) — A Boston school official was tapped Wednesday by Massachusetts education officials to serve as receiver for the Lawrence public schools, which the state took control of after citing poor student performance, low graduation rates and ineffective leadership.
Jeffrey Riley, who has been a teacher, principal and administrator during his 20 years in education, was named to the post by Mitchell Chester, commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
As receiver, Riley will have the powers of a school superintendent and the elected school committee. He will be paid an annual salary of $198,900 from the city's school budget and report directly to Chester.
A vote by the state Board of Education in November made Lawrence the first school district in the state to come under direct state control. The district has about 13,000 students.
Riley said he was humbled by the challenge.
"Successful turnaround efforts are not easy to achieve," he said in a statement. "In Lawrence, our work will require the collective buy-in and contributions of educators, parents, students, and the community in support of an agenda of high expectations and standards for all children."
Chester cited Riley's previous success in turning around troubled schools.
Riley was appointed chief innovation officer for the Boston public schools last spring, and served from 2007-2009 as principal of the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School. He was credited with transforming the school from one of the city's lowest performing to one of its highest performing, as measured by results of the eighth-grade English Language and math MCAS exams.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports
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Frank McLaughlin, president of the Lawrence Teachers Union, praised Riley as a "well-respected innovator with a reputation for fairness and hard work." McLaughlin said teachers were prepared to work with Riley to improve the city's schools.
Lawrence has been labeled by the state as a Level 5 under-performing school district, the lowest possible level under the state's classification system. The former mill city in Merrimack Valley was also placed under state fiscal oversight in 2010 after lawmakers authorized the city to float up to $35 million in bonds to stabilize its finances.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
