State Moves Forward in Turnaround Process for Providence Schools

Published on Friday, September 13, 2019

With Show Cause Hearing Complete, Commissioner Has Three Weeks to Issue Final Order

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) took another step towards assuming control of the Providence Public School District (PPSD) today with the completion of a show cause hearing. Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green now has up to three weeks to issue a final order that will make state control official. 

“We cannot let the momentum fade or allow education to drop off the radar. We must move forward with urgency,” said Infante-Green. “The Johns Hopkins report underscored that the Providence school system is broken, and I have heard from the community that the report was just the tip of the iceberg. It’s on all of us to help fix it. There will be times when we disagree as a community, but as long as we continue to make the students our top priority, I am confident that we can bring transformational change to Providence schools.” 

None of the four parties identified as having standing under state law – the mayor, the city council, the school board, or the interim superintendent – chose to object to the state assuming control of PPSD. As part of today’s legal proceeding, the Commissioner also entertained a Motion to Intervene from Providence students and parents being represented by the Rhode Island Center for Justice. The motion was denied on the grounds that the rights of specific parents or students to intervene cannot supersede those of all parents and students.  

In delivering her decision, Commissioner Infante-Green thanked the students and parents who were a party to the case, as well as the hundreds of community members who have shared their stories and offered feedback through nine community forums,15 focus groups and work sessions, and then again this afternoon.

“My decision is in no way a rebuke of the role that students and parents will play in the turnaround process. They want to be a part of developing a bold, sustainable turnaround action plan for Providence, and I need them to be a part of that plan,” she said. “For so many of the Rhode Islanders I’ve met, this is personal. It’s personal because they grew up in this city. They work here, they went to school here, and they love it here. So I understand why there would be hesitation to let an outsider like me come in and lead this charge. But to every Providence resident, I say this: it’s personal for me, too. I may not be from here, but I’m here now, and I am all in. We have important work ahead of us, and it’s only just begun. Let’s get to work.” 

The community has several avenues through which to get involved in the turnaround process, including through monthly meetings with key stakeholder groups and, once a Turnaround Superintendent is named, a monthly meeting to provide updates and work on components of the turnaround action plan. 

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