PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Providence’s mayor has left for a conference in Hawaii as his city faces ongoing budget negotiations and fallout over a scathing report on the city’s schools.
WPRI-TV reports that Mayor Jorge Elorza left Thursday to attend a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Officials and teachers have reacted strongly to a report on Providence schools released Tuesday that details severe dysfunction, struggling students and a tangled bureaucracy.
Elorza attended a forum about the report Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Elorza has said city funds will run out by mid-July without a new budget.
Elorza’s office says he’ll be in close contact with staff and the conference is an opportunity to share ideas and best practices. Taxpayers did not fund the trip.
Councilman John Igliozzi says Elorza should have stayed to address the school crisis.
