May 13, 2016
http://hechingerreport.org/q-charter-school-founder-ravi-gupta-opposite-people-fear/">Ravi Gupta, the CEO of RePublic Schools, announced today that he will be stepping down as chief executive officer of the organization. Gupta opened ReImagine Prep in Jackson, which opened in fall of last year. Gupta plans to leave his position by December of this year. Read his letter below:
Dear Friends,
In 2011, RePublic Schools made a promise. We committed to a small group of founding families that we would reimagine the public school experience—not just for them, but for all the underserved children in the South.
Five years later, we are closer to realizing that dream: RePublic serves nearly 1,300 students in five schools across two states (and counting), and has leveraged the success of those schools to set in motion a movement for universal computer science education.
In our corner of the world, a child’s odds of rising from the bottom to the top are lower than anywhere else in the United States. These students must navigate the entrenched repercussions of systemic and historic inequity. Even in the face of these challenges, I’ve watched an inspiring collection of children, families, and educators dismantle one obstacle after another. Serving with them has been the greatest privilege of my life.
Leading RePublic has been a gift. And it’s now time to hand that gift to someone else.
After six years, I’ve decided to put an expiration date on my time as CEO of RePublic. I have informed our Board of Directors that I will be stepping down in December 2016.
Although the transition itself is more than seven months away, I wanted to inform you now as we prepare for a new phase here at RePublic and commence a search for the best job in public education. I will continue to serve in my position for the rest of the calendar year, while supporting our Board of Directors in identifying and onboarding our new CEO. (See here for some words from our Board about the search and RePublic generally.)
As for me, I intend to move back home to New York City to give back to the city where I was born and raised. Even from afar, I will always carry with me the tenacity of the families of Tennessee, the soul of the civic community in Mississippi, and the courage of the most swashbuckling group of educators ever assembled.
Onward,
Ravi
Sierra Mannie is an education reporting fellow for the Jackson Free Press and The Hechinger Report. Read more at jfp.ms/education.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID