News ReleaseFor Immediate ReleaseAugust 15, 2011

Superintendent Ingram Announces Resignation Effective June 30, 2012

Superintendent’s StatementThis summer has been a time of busy preparation for the start of my fourth new school year as Superintendent of the Springfield school district. It has also provided time to reflect upon my tenure here and on the road ahead—for myself and for the Springfield Public Schools.

This opportunity for reflection has brought me to the point that, by way of this communication, I am announcing to our school community that I am resigning as Superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools effective at the conclusion of my current contract, which is June 30, 2012.

When hired by the Finance Control Board, almost four years ago, I was well-informed of the challenges I would face in this new and exciting role in this dynamic and storied community. Among them were:

Fiscal challenges which led to state control of the system from locally elected officials in July 2004. At that time, no one could have foreseen or predicted the fiscal challenges around the corner at the federal and state levels, making our local challenges that much greater.

A return to district governance by our elected School Committee, which struggled to find a way to work in unison on behalf of the children they were elected to serve.

A teacher recruitment and selection process that had left far too many of our students in classrooms with teachers who were unprepared to provide them with the learning experiences that they needed.

A lack of a clear road map or strategic plan for the future. And, most significantly, student achievement well below state averages.

(More)I am pleased to note that in spite of the odds, we have made significant progress in all but one of those challenges during my tenure to include:

Student attendance increased from 89.4% to 90.8% Truancy decreased from 7.4% to 5.1% Percentage of Core Academic Classes Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers

increased from 84.5% to 95.4% Gains in Student Academic Proficiency

o Reading/English Language Arts (Grades 3-8 and 10) from 35% to 40.5%o Science and Technology (Grades 3, 5 and 8) from 16.8% to 21%o Mathematics (Grades 3-8 and 10) from 25.8% to 27.3%

Decrease in the percentage of student suspensions by 12.4% Decrease in the percentage of assaults on students by 20.2% Increase in the number of students participating in PSAT from 1,748 to 2,402 Increase in the number of Advance Placement (AP) Exams taken from 377 to 736

I want to thank our students and our parents for their dedication to education and to our schools during my tenure. I also want to thank our dedicated teachers and staff who have committed their careers to the advancement of Springfield’s children. I also thank the members of our School Committee who have been most focused on and supportive of the interests of children. Finally, I want to thank our broader business community and citizens who support the Springfield Public Schools through their tax dollars and numerous other avenues of support to make the schools successful for our community’s children.

I am making this announcement at this time to provide our School Committee almost a full year to conduct a comprehensive search for the very best leader available – which our children and dedicated staff deserve.

Let me make it clear, I will be fully engaged as the leader of the Springfield schools through the conclusion of this coming school year. I will cooperate fully with the School Committee and my eventual successor in any way asked, to ensure a smooth transition in leadership.

Finally, I want to say that over my first three years, I have been fully committed to and worked many long days and weekends on the resolution of the aforementioned challenges. In no instance did I ever apply for or even momentarily consider any other employment opportunity than the one I was hired to fulfill. In the coming year, however, I will do so.

I am looking forward to a great new school year for the children of Springfield, and will be focused on and dedicated to making that happen.

To that end, I will have no further comment on this topic, either now or in the future.

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