BREAKING: Providence School Board President Resigns
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Kathleen Crain resigned from her position as President of the Providence School Board Monday evening, a week after a General Assembly decision to strip the board of its authority to sign union contracts.
In a phone interview following the school board meeting, Crain told GoLocalProv that city finances played too much of a role in Mayor Angel Taveras’ decisions regarding education. Crain said she was originally a supporter of the Mayor, but that “money, power and politics” have gotten in the way.
“I don’t think the rhetoric has matched the action,” she said referring to the Mayor.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTCrain, who only became President in February, said the system is too broken. She said she could get more done being a member of her child’s parent teacher organization.
“You can only bang you head against a brick wall so many times,” Crain said.
In a message released following the resignation, Mayor Taveras said, “New legislation, which passed unanimously in the Senate, by a supermajority in the House, and was signed into law by the Governor, clearly defines the role of appointed school boards in negotiating labor contracts. Only those elected by taxpayers should be responsible for signing union contracts. Ms. Crain apparently did not agree with this. I accept her resignation and thank her for her service to Providence and it's schoolchildren.”
