PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Providence School Board will wait until next month to decide whether to strip Ty’Relle Stephens of the board presidency, after a marathon Wednesday meeting that stretched past midnight and ended without a vote.
Members spent about three hours in a closed-door session before returning shortly after midnight, roughly six hours after the meeting began. Board Secretary Miche’le Fontes announced the delay, saying members want time to review the bylaws and rethink the duties of the president, vice president and secretary. The board also agreed to take part in a restorative circle led by a certified practitioner. The removal question is now set for the Nov. 18 meeting.
Six board members have pressed to replace Stephens after disputes over how meeting agendas are set and who leads committees. Stephens, who became president last year at age 23, first kept the item off the agenda, saying he is entitled to finish his one-year term. Vice President Anjel Newmann then complained to the state.
On Sunday, state Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green ruled that Stephens broke state law by blocking the vote, finding that a majority of members can take the gavel away before a president’s term is up. The city has appealed that ruling.
The fight comes only months after the district returned to local control on July 1, following nearly seven years under state management. Even if he loses the presidency, Stephens keeps his elected seat on the board until his term ends in January 2029.
Section: More Providence RI education news
Filed under: Providence RI Education News
