Criticism Grows of Elorza’s Call to Limit Charter Schools
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has made his second call to limit the expansion of public charter schools in the city.
_1200_1200_90.jpg)
Much of Elorza’s involvement in education is being stripped away as the State of Rhode Island has moved to transfer the management of the schools to state control.
In August, Elorza first called for limiting or closing charter schools if Achievement First was going to be allowed to expand. Plans are now moving forward to expand Achievement First's cap from 2,000 students to 3,000 for total enrollment.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAdvocates of traditional public charter schools are reacting with anger and frustration with Elorza’s comments.
Keith Oliveira, Executive Director of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools spoke out against Elorza’s position, “The Rhode Island League of Charter Schools supports Mayor Jorge Elorza allowing the expansion of Achievement First charter school in Providence.”
“However, AF’s expansion should not be a bargaining chip to limit other high-quality charter school seats in Providence as the mayor has proposed. We agree with Mayor Elorza that Providence families should have access to high-quality charter school options. We have confidence that RIDE and the R.I. Council of Education will continue to thoroughly evaluate the quality of charter school expansion requests based upon merit and not as a tradeoff for allowing AF to expand,” said Oliveira.
Others were less diplomatic in critiquing Elorza’s comments.
“The best thing that the Mayor can do now, is just get out of the way, and allow Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green to make all the necessary reforms that the Mayor has been unwilling or unable to do for the past 5 years,” said co-chairs of the Providence Republican Party, David Talan and William Ricci.
Talan and Ricci called on the RI Board of Education to approve an unlimited number of charter schools in Providence, that meet their criteria for high-performing. They also called on the Board to support allowing existing public charter schools in Providence to expand.
Related Articles
- Leaders Call Out Elorza for Claiming Credit for Upcoming Providence Schools Takeover
- Role of Elorza Will be “Small or Non-Existent” in State Takeover of Providence Schools, Says Calabro
- Wall Street Journal Charges That Elorza is “Holding the Children and Charter Schools Hostage”
- Elorza’s Proposal to Close Charter School Is Criticized Immediately
