Pawtucket School Committee appoints acting superintendent

February 28, 2025 3:45 pm

Gino DeAngelis,

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — Pawtucket School Committee Chair Omar Reyes said that the committee had appointed Randy Buck as the acting superintendent.

The appointment comes after Superintendent Patricia Royal went on leave.

Buck has served as Pawtucket Public Schools’ Executive Director of School Leadership for the past year.

Reyes’ full statement on the appointment can be read below:

This morning the Pawtucket School Committee voted to appoint Randy A. Buck as the Acting Superintendent, due to Superintendent Patricia Royal being on leave. As this is a personnel matter, we are unable to comment further at this time.

Our number one priority, as always, is providing a great public education to Pawtucket students. That is why we have appointed a highly experienced educator, Randy A. Buck, to serve as Acting Superintendent. For the past year Mr. Buck has served as Pawtucket Public Schools’ Executive Director of School Leadership. In this role he has gained the trust of our teachers, principals, staff, students, and families. With this experience he is well prepared to hit the ground running and ensure no disruptions to student learning as we close out the last four months of the 2024-2025 school year. Mr. Buck is ready to lead important and timely conversations regarding Slater Middle School’s entering into a Rhode Island Department of Education mandated redesign process. Mr. Buck will also be the first African American male to lead Pawtucket Public Schools.

To our students and families, we want you to know that there will be no disruptions to our schools and classrooms during this time period. And to our larger Pawtucket community, we want everyone to know that the Pawtucket School Committee is committed to quickly resolving these issues so that we can continue to pursue improved educational outcomes, improved teacher morale, and maximizing the potential of our Pawtucket kids who deserve a great public education.

Finally, we want to hear from you. If you have any thoughts or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to any member of the Pawtucket School Committee. Contact information for all members of the school committee can be found at www.psdri.net/school-committee.