PROVIDENCE — The Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education has postponed acting on a request to grant the city’s prospective superintendent, Thomas M. Brady, a waiver from the state’s superintendent certificate.

Brady, who is interim superintendent of the Philadelphia school district, meets most of the state requirements with two exceptions: he hasn’t attended a formal graduate program in education, nor has he taught in a public school.

Mayor David R. Cicilline, who was instrumental in bringing Brady to Providence, requested the waiver on the grounds that Brady has more than enough experience, given his 25 years of military service and his decade-long career in top management positions in large urban public schools.

The postponement does not signal that Brady’s appointment is in trouble, according to Regents Chairman Robert G. Flanders, who said that the board tabled its decision until the office of the state commissioner of education thoroughly reviews Brady’s credentials.

“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t do this hastily,” Flanders said yesterday. “He has a very impressive background. The regents wanted the staff to take the time to go through his credentials thoroughly and come back with a report concerning what specifics in his background, or lack thereof, need to be waived.”

The regents also listened to the concerns cited by Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith, who asked the board to think carefully before issuing a waiver because of the message it might send to teachers and administrators who labor hard to maintain their certifications.

“I didn’t testify against Mr. Brady,” Smith said. “I asked the regents to take time to deliberate this process because the Providence School Board did not. The School Board has taken the position that this is a formality. What would the School Board’s reaction be if teachers were not certified? I was reacting to calls I received from administrators expressing their concern, as well as their disappointment that they didn’t have the opportunity to apply for the job.”

Brady was appointed by the School Board in March a week after Supt. Donnie Evans announced that he would step down in September. Smith and others criticized the process, arguing that it was done behind closed doors without input from the union or the public.

“Steve put them on the spot,” said state Education Commissioner Peter McWalters. “They were about to give a waiver to me without me having the full opportunity to review it.”

McWalters said his office didn’t receive Brady’s complete résumé until Wednesday. McWalter’s staff completed its review yesterday morning and a special regents meeting has been scheduled for Monday at 3 p.m. to act on the waiver. McWalters said that he doesn’t anticipate a problem with the request.

“Here’s a guy with a master’s degree in human resources,” McWalters said, “years of military training, and he’s run a school system bigger than our entire state. He has taught in college but not in elementary or secondary school. We will say that publicly. But his experience in teaching and management, all of those things that the district needs, is perfect.”

Brady began his formal career in education in 1999, when he was appointed chief executive officer of the Fairfield, Va., school district. In 2004, he enrolled in the Broad Center, a nationally known program that trains private and military CEOs to become leaders of large urban school districts. The intensive one-year program has produced a number of urban school superintendents and is considered to be the equivalent of an advanced academic program.

lborg@projo.com