PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island’s education commissioner is asking for the authority to take control of the Providence Public School District.
Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green said Friday she’s asking the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education to grant her authority to fundamentally transform the broken district.
She says abysmal assessment results, an independent report by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and the testimony of hundreds of people at nine public forums make it crystal clear it’s time for drastic action.
The council will consider the request Tuesday.
The Johns Hopkins report, released in June, found severe dysfunction in the district, including rampant bullying and fighting among students, crumbling facilities and a tangled bureaucracy with no clear lines of authority.
State law allows the education department to take control over failing schools and districts.
“Over the past few weeks, Commissioner Infante-Green has listened to hundreds of parents, students, educators and community members as they’ve shared their experiences with Providence Public Schools,” said Governor Gina Raimondo in a statement. “The stories shared in these community forums made us more painfully aware of the challenges facing the district and reinforced the urgency of addressing this crisis. Community engagement is critical, and as we move forward we need every voice to remain at the table. I am supportive of the Commissioner’s recommendation that the State take a more active role to meaningfully change a broken system. I thank Mayor Elorza and the City for their collaboration as we move forward with the shared goal of ensuring that every student who attends Providence public schools has a high quality education.”
