Nardelli retiring from R.I. League of Charter Schools

STEPHEN A. Nardelli will retire from his position as executive director of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools on June 30. / PBN FILE PHOTO
STEPHEN A. Nardelli will retire from his position as executive director of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools on June 30. / PBN FILE PHOTO

PROVIDENCE – Stephen A. Nardelli will retire from his position as executive director of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools on June 30.

Timothy Groves, former development officer at the Rhode Island Foundation, will replace him.

They began working collaboratively on Monday and will continue throughout the month of June, according to a news release from the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools.

Nardelli expanded the role of charter public schools in Rhode Island’s public education system, according to the release. He has held the executive director position since 2004.

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Groves is an attorney at Barton Gilman LLC and co-founder and vice president at Schoolyard Inc.

“Through his work as the executive director of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools, Steve Nardelli has helped to provide more options and opportunities for Rhode Island students and their families. He has supported many great schools that serve as examples of what’s possible with great teaching and leadership,” Deborah A. Gist, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said in a statement. “I wish Steve well in his retirement, and I know that our charter public schools will continue to play a vital role in education in Rhode Island.”

During his role as former government relations coordinator for the state Commissioner of Education in the 1990s, Nardelli helped draft and advocate for the adoption of the state’s first charter school legislation before the General Assembly.

After the law was adopted in 1995, he collaborated with public educators and community organizers to develop the state’s first applications for charter schools – Textron/Chamber of Commerce Academy (now the Academy for Career Exploration) and Times² Academy (now Times² STEM Academy), which successfully opened their doors in 1997 and 1998, respectively.

Under Nardelli, the number of charter schools in Rhode Island has more than doubled, with the number of students served by public charter schools growing by approximately 200 percent. There were 11 charter schools when he first started his position at the league more than a decade ago.

“On June 30, I close the book on a 46-year career in public education,” Nardelli said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to represent and work with charter leaders in advocating for Rhode Island’s charter public schools. I am confident that our state’s charter public school initiative will continue to grow and succeed under the able leadership of Tim Groves.”

Said Groves, “Rhode Island’s charter public schools have a vital role to play in our state’s system of public education. Since their inception, our charter schools have spurred innovation and developed scalable strategies for improving teaching and learning in Rhode Island.”

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