RI Prov Schools Takeover: No Superintendent, No Defined Role for School Board, No Discipline Change
Saturday, October 26, 2019
It is now nearly five months since the release of the Johns Hopkins report and three months since the takeover of Providence Schools was announced -- and key hires and defined roles of who is managing Providence Schools when the state takes over on November 1 are still unclear.
Much of the system that was derided in the Johns Hopkins report remains the same and one area may be even more complicated. Who is running the schools and what are other stakeholders' roles?
A critical finding of the Hopkins report was, “All but one of the groups we interviewed believe that the structure of the system is deeply problematic and contributes to the inability of leaders to provide a vision. Most of the interviewees noted that there were 'too many masters,' i.e., the School Board, the Mayor, the City Council, the state. One person noted, 'There are all these chefs stirring the pot, but the soup never gets made.'"
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTYet, as the takeover is implemented, much of the existing structure continues and the State of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) become just another layer. The same superintendent and the same school board continue, without clearly delineated roles.
School Board Role?
The Providence School Board will continue, although its role and authority going forward are still undefined.
GoLocalProv has learned that Providence School Board members have requested a written definition of their role and legal indemnification going forward.
“The Commissioner has the authority to assume all of the functions of the Providence School Board under the Crowley Act, but we expect to have additional conversations with them to determine what functions they may continue to carry out,” said Megan Geoghegan, spokeswoman for RIDE and Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green.
“We have discussed with Board leadership, for example, a request that they host quarterly public meetings to discuss the Turnaround Plan. That will be an additional avenue through which we can provide updates to the community,” said Geoghegan.
“The Crowley Act doesn’t speak specifically to indemnity, but Board members should still be statutorily protected from liability under Rhode Island General Law § 9-1-31,” Geoghegan added.
While the takeover begins next Friday, nearly all other management issues are still in transition.
Test Scores Disappoint
This week’s release of the RICAS scores showed Providence schools again amont the lowest-performing in the state and Rhode Island only making marginal improvement.
Providence RICAS Score ELA in 2018 13.71% of the students meet or exceed expectations
Providence RICAS Score ELA in 2019 17.22% of the students meet or exceed expectations
Providence RICAS MATH in 2018 10.3% of the students meet or exceed expectations
Providence RICAS MATH in 2019 11.92% of the students meet or exceed expectations
Who is in Charge?
The leadership over Providence schools is less defined, and now maybe more than ever before. If a parent wants to call the top decision-maker over their child's education -- it is unclear what phone number they should dial.
According to RIDE, former controversial Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo will continue to serve as the interim Superintendent in Providence.
“The interim Superintendent will be responsible for hiring and firing, but must clear those decisions through the Commissioner," said Geoghegan.
“Interim Superintendent Gallo has agreed to stay on until a State Turnaround Superintendent is named, and will assist in the transition. Until that time, Dr. Gallo will continue to manage day-to-day operations. She will be working closely with and reports directly to the Commissioner,” said Geoghegan.
Infante-Green’s effort to recruit a new superintendent has been difficult with at least two potential candidates refusing to move forward in the selection process. News that Infante-Green is being recruited to other jobs is reported to be hurting her ability to recruit for the position.
“Conversations are ongoing for a State Turnaround Superintendent, but we have no announcement at this time. This is a critical decision that the Commissioner isn’t going to rush,” said Geoghegan.
Who’s Controls the Purse Strings?
“The Commissioner assumes authority of the budget, while the city is responsible for providing the funds at their current level,” said Geoghegan.
Student Discipline?
As the Hopkins report stated, “School culture is broken – particularly in secondary schools. Our review teams encountered many teachers and students who do not feel safe in school. There is widespread agreement that bullying, demeaning, and even physical violence are occurring within the school walls at very high levels. Many participants cited the pressure to reduce suspensions as a causal factor.”
But RIDE tells GoLocal that there will be no change to the existing structure.
“There will be no immediate change to discipline processes,” said Geoghegan.
Sweeping Powers
Under the takeover order, Infante-Green is given complete control over the system.
“The Commissioner shall control the budget, program, and personnel of PPSD and its schools and, if further needed, the Commissioner shall reconstitute PPSD schools, which may include restructuring the individual school’s governance, budget, program, personnel and/or decisions related to the continued operation of the school.”
The Commissioner shall exercise all the powers and authorities delegated by the Council to the Commissioner and all powers of RIDE over the budget, program and personnel of PPSD and over the individual school’s governance. The Commissioner shall also have all powers and authorities currently exercised by the Providence School Board and Superintendent (Acting, Interim or Permanent), as well as all powers and authorities of the Mayor of Providence, and the Providence City Council as it pertains to PPSD and its schools,” the order further states.
Related Articles
- RICAS Math Rankings: RI’s Top - and Worst - Districts and Charters
- RICAS ELA Rankings: RI’s Top - and Worst - Districts and Charters
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Casimiro: Failed RICAS Results & High School Start Times
- RICAS 2018-2019 Math Rankings: RI’s Top - and Worst - Districts and Charters
- RI’s Best and Worst Performing Districts and Charters - RICAS Results
- RICAS 2018-2019 ELA Rankings: RI’s Top - and Worst - Districts and Charters
- NEW: Latino Policy Institute Says “Stop Blaming Students” for RICAS Scores
- Infante-Green Says She Can “Break Contracts” in Providence Schools Takeover, More Districts Possible
- What RI’s New Education Commissioner Infante-Green Needs to Do to Turn RI’s Schools Around
- Ed Commissioner Infante-Green Won’t Include Parents in Selection of New Providence Schools Head
- VIDEO: Commissioner Infante-Green Moves to Block Student & Parent Involvement in Providence Takeover
- Flanked By Lawyers, Infante-Green Shoots Down Parents and Students’ Effort to Have Stake in Takeover
