Chaos Persists In Providence Schools
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The abrupt departure of Providence School Board President Kathleen Crain is just the latest blow to a school system struggling with stability as it prepares for new school year that begins in less than two months.
Crain resigned from her role on the board Monday evening, a week after both chambers of the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to strip the board of its authority to sign union contracts, a decision Mayor Angel Taveras supported.
The capital city has now lost its School Board President and a large number of central office administrators at the school department (including Superintendent Tom Brady) in recent months and has still not come to an agreement with the teachers, although a tentative contract could be announced as early as today.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn top of the many staffing questions, the schools themselves are still struggling. On Monday, GoLocalProv reported that four schools identified by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) as persistently low achieving would not receive any help until at least 2012.
Crain: Money, Power Politics
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.
Crain, 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.
Mayor: Elected Officials Should Sign Contracts
The relationship between the School Board and the Taveras administration has been frayed ever since Taveras chose to issue dismissal notices to every teacher in the district in attempt to gain flexibility in a difficult budget year. The board then faced public backlash after it voted to close five Providence schools, as recommended by the city.
But officials in the Taveras administration say the School Board was unable to help close a large budget deficit in the city schools and the result has been turmoil at every level. In a message released following Crain’s resignation, Mayor Taveras said he believes only elected officials should have the power to negotiate union contracts.
“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,” Taveras said. “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 its schoolchildren.”
New Superintendent This Week
Crain isn’t the only prominent school official leaving this week. Friday is Superintendent Brady’s final day on the job as well. He will be replaced by interim Superintendent Susan Lusi, who is expected to remain in the position for at least one year.
Brady was viewed as a reform-minded Superintendent that was gaining the trust of the Providence Teachers Union. The two sides were singled out as a model for effective partnership by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan earlier this year.
Still, the schools themselves are plagued with poor test scores and low graduation rates. Lusi inherits a system that still has a long way to go to be the “envy of America,” as Mayor Taveras has said he hopes for it to become.
Taveras has praised Lusi, who served in the School Department before taking over Portsmouth Public Schools.
“Dr. Lusi is a highly-regarded educator and manager with strong local ties,” Taveras said in a statement last month. “I have every confidence that during the next year she will lead education reform and improve student outcomes in our school district.”
New Contract Coming?
As educators wait to adjust to life under new leadership and attempt to navigate RIDE’s decision to wait a year to help the persistently low achieving schools, a new union contract appears to be on the horizon. While both sides have been quiet on specific details, the new agreement is expected to result in zero layoffs and add between 5-15 minutes to the school day.
In addition to his difficult relationship with the School Board, Taveras’ relationship with the union has also been fragile. However, the Mayor has said he is committed to improving schools no matter what it takes.
“I credit teachers, students, parents, and community members for the progress some schools are making,” Taveras said recently. “But no school in Providence should be persistently low achieving. Raising student achievement should be our highest priority. Our children need and deserve an education that will enable them to reach their full potential.”