Thomas MacMillan File Photo
(Updated)As the governor rebuilds the board in charge of statewide school policy, he’s offering New Haven a seat at the table.
Ferdinand L. Risco, Jr., a New Haven Public Schools parent and school board member, was nominated Friday by Gov. Dannel Malloy as one of eight new appointees to the state Board of Education.
The state Board of Education, which sets educational standards and policy for local school districts, has 11 voting members, serving four-year terms. The nominations come as the state prepares for a major overhaul of the way school spending is allocated to districts through Education Cost Sharing grants.
Risco (pictured) joined the New Haven Board of Education in November 2009. From day one, he has supported Mayor John DeStefano’s school reform campaign, which calls for “grading” schools based largely on test scores, granting some more autonomy, and closing those that fail.
New Haven Superintendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Mayo welcomed Risco’s nomination.
“The governor has chosen wisely,” Mayo said in a press statement. “New Haven will have an advocate on the state board who understands the needs of our school system.”
It’s not clear whether Risco would have to leave his current role in the city’s school reform drive. “Ferdinand and I are discussing whether he will remain on the New Haven Board of Education,” Mayo said.
Risco is an “inclusion and diversity manager” at Metro North Railroad, where he has worked since 2004, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Before joining Metro North, Risco worked as a supervisor at Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group and also at Airborne Express. He served in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2000. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Haven in 2009.
Malloy made eight nominations Friday: Joseph J. Vrabely, Jr. of Glastonbury; Patricia Keavney-Maruca of Watertown; Terry H. Jones of Shelton; Ellen Camhi of Stamford; Charles A. Jaskiewicz, III of Norwich; Estela López of East Hartford; Risco of New Haven; and Stephen P. Wright of Trumbull.
“These nominees come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and I’m confident they can help set the standards needed to bring our students to the top,” said Malloy in a press release.
The nominations need to be approved by the Executive & Legislative Nominations Committee and then by both the state House and Senate.