Regents’ Davis takes high road after Chafee snub

And here's an article about Davis's statement:

Regents' Davis takes high road after Chafee snub

February 1st, 2011 at 8:02 pm by Ted Nesi under General Talk

http://blogs.wpri.com/2011/02/01/regents-davis-takes-high-road-after-chafee-snub/

One name was conspicuously if unsurprisingly absent from the list when Governor Chafee announced his picks for the R.I. Board of Regents earlier today: Angus Davis.

Davis, a successful tech entrepreneur and close ally of Commissioner Deb Gist, wasn't expected to remain on the board once Chafee took office; he is a strong proponent of charter schools, among other ideas about which the new governor has doubts, and he backed Frank Caprio in last year's campaign.

After declining to comment when I reached him by phone earlier in the day, Davis released a statement this evening – in English, Spanish and Portuguese, a nod to the diverse population in Rhode Island's public school system.

"It has been a profound honor to serve the children of Rhode Island and to advocate for education policies that serve their best interest," Davis said, before ticking off seven policies enacted during his time on the board, including lifting the cap on charters and establishing a school funding formula.

He praised Gist for her "inspiring and effective leadership," noting the state's recent success in winning a $75 million Race to the Top grant from the Obama administration.

The statement made no mention of Chafee or George Caruolo, the governor's nominee to become the board's new chairman, but it did thank Governor Carcieri, Senate President M. Teresa Pavia Weed and House Speaker Gordon Fox "for their support of this important, ongoing work to improve education."

Carcieri nominated Davis last May to serve another term on the Board of Regents, but the Senate never acted on the nomination. The other two Regents whom Chafee is replacing are Amy Beretta and Anna Cano-Morales, although it's unclear whether they wanted to remain on the board.

Separately, NEARI President Larry Purtill issued his own statement this evening applauding Chafee's choices for the board; his union was a key supporter of Chafee during the gubernatorial campaign.

"I believe this group will listen to students, teachers, parents, and administrators, as well as the general public, as it develops education policy," Purtill said. "It is critical that the voices of the stakeholders – those responsible for the education of our children – be heard."

Duly noted: Just as Davis's statement made no mention of Chafee, Purtill's statement made no mention of Gist.