Dr. Frances Gallo appointed new interim Providence superintendent

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Providence School Board has officially voted to make Dr. Frances Gallo is the new interim superintendent of the city’s public schools.

She says she hopes to demonstrate servant leadership.

“Every child matters,” Gallo said. “Every teacher matters. They work together, we serve them.”

She says she has a strong relationship with the state as it prepares to take control.

“There’s a lot of respect, we’re building the trust,” Gallo said, “and slowly but surely, we will be moving forward.”

School Board Chair Nicholas Hemond says she’s just the right person to help the schools transition through that process.

“I think she’s the perfect person at the perfect time,” Hemond said. “She’s got a tremendous amount of experience. She’s been through every sort of position in the school department in Providence that you can have.”

She also served as Central Falls superintendent, where she faced criticism for an ultimately–failed plan to fire all the teachers at Central Falls High.

But a providence colleague who knows Gallo from her Central Falls tenure says she still trusts her to lead during this difficult time.

“The core of who she is, is always looking through the lens of what’s best for kids,” said principal Alisa Diakite.

That’s why Gallo says her most urgent priority is fixing buildings, so children have a safe place to learn.

“It’s the damage we’ve done to our children,” she said. “We let them come to a classroom where there is mold, where there are rodents. This is unacceptable.”

Gallo says most importantly she wants to treat the school community like family.

“Every child’s name is Gallo now, as far as I’m concerned, for the next few months,” she said.

Dr. Gallo says she expects to stay in this interim position no more than 90 days.

(c) WLNE-TV / ABC 6  2019