Utica City School District’s Forbes Honor Raises Questions About Credit, Transparency and Dr. Christopher Spence Utica

The Utica City School District’s Forbes recognition, improved test scores and a major credit-rating upgrade all occurred during the tenure of former Superintendent Dr. Christopher Spence Utica.

Those accomplishments involved thousands of students, teachers, employees, administrators and community members. But they also deserve a full public accounting as residents continue to ask why the Utica Board of Education ended its relationship with Spence so quickly.

UCSD was named to Forbes’ America’s Best-In-State Employers 2026 list, marking the district’s second consecutive year receiving the recognition. According to UCSD, it was the only K–12 school district among the 102 New York employers recognized in 2026.

That is a significant achievement for a public school district.

Yet when UCSD publicly celebrated the honor in August, its announcement did not mention Spence.

That omission may seem small when considered by itself. Viewed alongside the district’s other recent accomplishments, however, it raises a larger question:

Is UCSD giving the public a complete account of the progress made while Spence was superintendent?

What Did Utica City School District Win From Forbes?

For the second consecutive year, Utica City School District was named to Forbes’ America’s Best-In-State Employers list for New York.

According to UCSD, Forbes partnered with market research company Statista and based the rankings on an independent survey of more than 245,000 U.S. employees. More than 2 million evaluations collected over three years were analyzed, with greater weight given to more recent responses.

Acting Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Davis credited UCSD employees for the achievement.

“This recognition by Forbes belongs to the thousands of dedicated employees who show up for our students and families each day,” Davis said.

She is right.

Teachers, aides, clerical workers, custodians, food-service employees, counselors, administrators, security personnel and others who support children every day deserve recognition.

But workplace culture develops over time.

For much of the period represented by the evaluations used for the Forbes recognition, Spence was superintendent and responsible for helping set district priorities and overseeing the administration.

That does not mean the award belongs to one superintendent. It does mean his tenure is part of the history surrounding the recognition.

Improved Test Scores Came During Spence’s Tenure

The Forbes honor was not the only positive development during Spence’s roughly two years leading UCSD.

During the 2024–25 school year, the district reported significant gains in state assessment results:

• Grades 3–8 English language arts proficiency increased from 31% to 40%.

• Grades 3–8 math proficiency increased from 36% to 41%.

• Students met or exceeded state growth benchmarks in five of six grade levels in both subjects.

• The district reported continued academic progress across multiple measures.

An even larger milestone came with New York State’s 2025–26 accountability determinations.

For the first time since federal accountability tracking began in 2002, none of UCSD’s schools was designated for Targeted Support or Comprehensive Support.

Every Utica school reached good standing.

For a large urban district that has faced longstanding academic and operational challenges, that was an important accomplishment.

No superintendent should receive sole credit for improved test scores or accountability results.

Students do the learning. Teachers deliver instruction. Families support children. Principals, counselors, aides, specialists and administrators all contribute.

But leadership matters, too.

A superintendent helps establish academic priorities, allocate resources, select intervention strategies and determine whether schools have a coordinated plan for improvement.

During his tenure, Spence emphasized initiatives including literacy improvement, expanded academic supports, career and technical education, the Raiders’ Extended Day Program and additional opportunities for students.

In June 2025, Spence pointed to expanded academic support, the “Utica Reads” literacy initiative and investments in career and technical education, technology and school safety as part of UCSD’s progress.

Those initiatives formed part of the district’s strategy during the same period in which academic results improved.

Moody’s Credit-Rating Upgrade Was Another Major Milestone

Another significant development came on May 19, 2026, when UCSD announced that Moody’s Ratings had upgraded the district’s issuer and general obligation bond rating from A1 to Aa3.

A credit-rating upgrade is more than a financial footnote.

Stronger ratings can allow school districts to borrow money under more favorable conditions, potentially reducing long-term interest expenses for taxpayers when districts finance construction and capital improvements.

UCSD described the Aa3 rating as a major milestone in a years-long improvement in its financial standing.

The district credited careful planning, conservative budgeting, operational discipline and improved fiscal stability.

It is important to be fair about that record.

Financial progress develops over many years and through the work of multiple school boards, administrators, financial officers and employees. The Moody’s upgrade cannot reasonably be attributed to one person.

But neither can Spence be separated from the achievement.

The upgrade was announced while he was superintendent, and Spence was among the district leaders publicly discussing the financial progress at the time.

A Pattern That Raises Questions About Spence’s Record

The issue is not whether Davis should receive credit for her work as acting superintendent. She should.

Nor is the issue whether current UCSD employees deserve to celebrate the Forbes honor. They absolutely do.

The issue is whether the district is presenting residents with a complete and balanced account of its recent history.

Consider what occurred during Spence’s tenure:

• UCSD earned Forbes Best-In-State Employer recognition.

• English language arts proficiency increased.

• Math proficiency increased.

• Every district school reached good standing under the state accountability system.

• Moody’s upgraded the district’s credit rating to Aa3.

• Academic, extended-day and career and technical education programs expanded.

These accomplishments were collective achievements.

But they also occurred while Christopher Spence was superintendent of the Utica City School District.

That fact should not disappear simply because his relationship with the Board of Education later deteriorated.

Why Did UCSD Separate From Christopher Spence?

Spence began serving as Utica superintendent in 2024.

In 2026, he was placed on leave. The Board of Education subsequently decided not to extend his contract, and in August the district approved a mutual separation agreement ending his employment.

The separation came after months of disagreement between Spence and members of the board.

Spence, through his attorney, raised allegations involving discrimination and retaliation and challenged the fairness of the process used against him. The district and board have disputed allegations of improper conduct and defended their handling of the superintendent’s employment.

Those are competing claims, and they should be reported as such unless and until established through an appropriate legal or administrative process.

But the controversy makes transparency more important—not less.

The public can recognize UCSD’s accomplishments while still asking whether the board made the right leadership decision.

The Questions UCSD Still Needs to Answer

A school board has the legal responsibility to evaluate its superintendent and act when it believes a leadership change is necessary.

But public authority also brings public accountability.

If a superintendent is removed while significant academic and financial indicators are moving in a positive direction, residents have a legitimate interest in understanding why.

Utica residents should continue asking:

• If academic results were improving, what specific performance measures led the board to lose confidence in Spence?

• How did the board weigh the district’s improved standing with New York State?

• How did trustees evaluate the Forbes employer recognition and Moody’s credit-rating upgrade when assessing Spence’s performance?

• Why has recent district messaging not more directly acknowledged Spence’s role during the period when these accomplishments occurred?

• What changed between the approval of Spence’s employment contract and the board’s decision to separate from him in 2026?

• Can the board release additional information—within the limits of employment and privacy law—that would allow taxpayers to better understand its decision?

• What lessons will the district take from this controversy as it selects its next permanent superintendent?

These are not personal attacks.

They are accountability questions involving a public institution, public money and the education of Utica’s children.

Credit Should Be Shared—Not Erased

UCSD employees deserve to celebrate the Forbes recognition.

Students and families deserve to celebrate stronger academic outcomes.

Teachers and administrators deserve recognition for the work that helped every district school achieve good standing.

Taxpayers should welcome an improved credit rating that strengthens UCSD’s financial position.

And Dr. Christopher Spence deserves appropriate acknowledgment for leading the district during the period in which these achievements occurred.

Giving Spence appropriate credit does not diminish Davis, the Board of Education, teachers, administrators, students or previous district leaders.

Public education is a team effort.

But transparency means telling the entire story—even when parts of that story are politically or institutionally uncomfortable.

UCSD has much to be proud of.

It should also be willing to explain clearly how that progress occurred, who helped lead it and why the Board of Education concluded that a change in leadership was nevertheless necessary.

Utica taxpayers, parents, employees and students deserve that clarity.

Do you believe the Utica Board of Education has adequately explained its decision to separate from Dr. Christopher Spence? Should UCSD more clearly acknowledge his role in the district’s recent accomplishments? Share your thoughts in the comments.