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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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Providence plans to pink slip all teachers
01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, February 23, 2011
By Linda Borg
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE — The school district plans to send out dismissal notices to every one of its 1,926 teachers, an unprecedented move that has union leaders up in arms.
In a letter sent to all teachers Tuesday, Supt. Tom Brady wrote that the Providence School Board on Thursday will vote on a resolution to dismiss every teacher, effective the last day of school.
In an e-mail sent to all teachers and School Department staff, Brady said, “We are forced to take this precautionary action by the March 1 deadline given the dire budget outline for the 2011-2012 school year in which we are projecting a near $40 million deficit for the district,” Brady wrote. “Since the full extent of the potential cuts to the school budget have yet to be determined, issuing a dismissal letter to all teachers was necessary to give the mayor, the School Board and the district maximum flexibility to consider every cost savings option, including reductions in staff.” State law requires that teachers be notified about potential changes to their employment status by March 1.
“To be clear about what this means,” Brady wrote, “this action gives the School Board the right to dismiss teachers as necessary, but not all teachers will actually be dismissed at the end of the school year.”
“This is beyond insane,” Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith said Tuesday night. “Let’s create the most chaos and the highest level of anxiety in a district where teachers are already under unbelievable stress. Now I know how the United States State Department felt on Dec. 7 , 1941.” That was the day the Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor.
Smith, who has forged a groundbreaking collaboration with Brady that has received national recognition, said he believes this move comes directly from Mayor Angel Taveras, not the School Department. In a conversation with Taveras earlier Tuesday, Smith said the mayor also hinted at school closings but didn’t elaborate.
Taveras, in a statement issued Tuesday night, said the uncertainty around the city’s finances, combined with the March 1 deadline, led to this decision. Because it is too early to be certain of all possible changes to the school budget, Taveras said, issuing dismissal notices to all teachers “provides maximum flexibility” going forward.
“As a Providence public school graduate, I understand how great teachers can change lives,” he wrote. “I am sensitive to the uncertainty and anxiety that many teachers felt when they received this notice. My administration will do all it can to support our committed, hardworking teachers during this difficult time.”
Providence is facing a daunting budget crisis. The city had a $57-million deficit last year and expects a higher figure for the year ending June 30. In addition, the city, under then-Mayor David N. Cicilline, nearly depleted its reserves to cover day-to-day expenses. Taveras is currently awaiting completion of a report by an independent panel, which he commissioned to get a better handle on the city’s financial situation.
Meanwhile, Smith said he was caught completely off-guard by the planned dismissals, adding that Brady didn’t inform him of the decision until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday although he had heard rumors over the weekend.
He said it makes no sense to send out dismissal notices to every teacher because the district has a legal obligation to educate all of its students, regardless of budget considerations. “You have so many students,” he said. “You need so many teachers. You have a student-teacher ratio of 26 to 1. Do the math.”
Last year, only about 100 teachers received layoff notices, but in years past, as many as 500 have.
Smith said the dismissals couldn’t come at a worse time. The union is getting close to resolving a lawsuit over seniority-based hiring. The teachers’ contract expires June 30. And both Smith and Brady have staked their careers on a first-ever partnership in which both sides have agreed to make deep reforms in four of the district’s lowest-performing schools.
“We’re at the table with our best ideas,” Smith said. “To take this approach is unconscionable.” |
_________________
I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:33 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Detroit Public Schools are closing half of their schools and will have high school classes with 60 students in them.
Flint Schools lost over 1500 students and will get less money with the coming cuts per student. What changes do you see coming? |
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Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:28 am |
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JCARPENTER
F L I N T O I D
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A PLACE TO PLAY-
A PLACE TO PRAY-
A PLACE TO PREACH-
A PLACE TO TEACH-
= A PLACE TO STAY
A neighborhood needs a church a park and a school. If your church is 22 blocks away,your park is full of weeds and needles and your kids need to ride the bus to school,thats not a neighborhood.
Dayne -we need police, fire, clean city and decent schools in that order and people will stop moving. |
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Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:23 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Absolutely. Dayne and company are rehabbing houses in neighborhoods that have a recently closed school. Parents move because of the school if they want a good education for their children. Who will buy these rehabbed homes? |
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Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:35 am |
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Adam
F L I N T O I D
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| Webs aren't the charters staying open. Perhaps we should focus on renovating neighborhood with the charter schools? |
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Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:56 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
F L I N T O I D
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| Does anyone know how many students the Flint Public schools has in it's graduating class?? Ie Southwestern, Northern, etc.. |
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Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:40 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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quote:
Adam schreef:
Webs aren't the charters staying open. Perhaps we should focus on renovating neighborhood with the charter schools?
How many charters are open? The most successful are in the south side. Edison failed years ago.
The problem from some schools are that when Central closed, it threw gangs from different aqreas together and has resulted in increased violence, Outside influences need to be addressed. The schools do a fairly good job of hiding what really happen in the school.
Years ago, I helped by tutoring with a street league basketball group. The kids knew the rules and there were few problems. But when the eastside church, the ROC had a youth program, neighbors complained that the youth disrupted the neighborhood when leaving the program. A mixed race couple near Burns St and Delaware put their home up for sale after KKK and racist grafitti was painted around their home. |
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Fri Feb 25, 2011 6:57 pm |
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Adam
F L I N T O I D
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Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:09 pm |
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