Dec. 18, 2007 -– Gov. John deJongh Jr. is expected to present Dr. LaVerne Terry on Thursday as his choice to fill his final cabinet post –- education commissioner.
Terry has 26 years of experience as a teacher and administrator in Delaware and most recently in Hartford, Conn.
She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary and special education from the University of Delaware, a master's degree in special education from the University of Maryland and a doctorate in education leadership, also from the University of Delaware.
She is a fellow of the Broad Academy, "a rigorous 10-month executive management training program designed to prepare CEOs and senior executives from business, non-profit, military, government and education backgrounds to lead urban public school systems," according to the Broad website.
According to her resume, while serving as assistant superintendent of the Christina School District in Delaware, Terry tripled enrollment in AP courses, increasing enrollment of minority students by 300 percent, improved test scores in the district's elementary and middle schools by 20 percent and developed several model teaching and development programs. As Delaware's largest school district, Christina has an enrollment of 20,000 students.
It has been two months since the Senate trounced deJongh's previous choice, Dr. Lynn Spampinato –- causing a bitter rift in the community.
Unlike Spampinato, whose credentials were heralded in advance of her formal introduction, Government House was mum Tuesday night on the Terry nomination. Spokesman Jean Greaux Jr. would only say, "The education nominee will be identified by the governor on Thursday at 10 a.m."
The news conference to be held in the Government House ballroom had been announced earlier in the day.
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