PROVIDENCE, RI. -- The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is the latest in a series of organizations to weigh on education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist's contract.
In a letter Tuesday, the chamber has asked the business community to express their support for Gist by writing to school board Chairwoman Eva Marie Mancuso. The board is scheduled to discuss Gist's contract in closed session Thursday.
The chamber praised Gist for closing the achievement gap, supporting high-quality teaching and using innovative strategies to improve results. Among her achievements, the chamber mentioned a statewide funding formula and a multimillion dollar early learning grant.
"It is critical that as a community, we support the continued leadership of an individual who understands the direct and tangible connection between educational rigor and economic development," the chamber wrote.