News Summary
The Providence School Board is launching 16 community listening sessions to gather parental feedback on transitioning control of public schools back to local governance. With the first session at Hope High School, the initiative aims to create a student-centered educational plan as the city seeks to regain control of the Providence Public Schools Department by 2025. This comes amid financial obligations and potential tax increases to support public education reform in the city.
Providence – The Providence School Board has initiated a series of community listening sessions aimed at gathering feedback from parents as part of a broader effort to transition control of public schools back to the local level. A total of 16 feedback sessions will be held from now until August to discuss the development of a new student-centered educational plan for the city, which is contingent upon the return of local governance of schools.
The first session is scheduled for tonight at 6 PM at Hope High School. These community events are designed to engage parents in the decision-making process as the Mayor of Providence, Brett Smiley, advocated for regaining control of the Providence Public Schools Department (PPSD) by the summer of 2025. The city has been under state control since 2019, following significant systemic issues within the school system that led to intervention by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).
Mayor Smiley has called on the state to end its five-year oversight of PPSD and restore local control by July 1, 2025. This request was made public during a briefing at City Hall ahead of the upcoming legislative session in January 2025. Although the state takeover was originally set to conclude last year, the Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education has since extended this oversight until 2027. However, there is potential for an earlier resolution if notable improvements are observed in student performance metrics, including grades, graduation rates, and standardized test scores.
In addition to advocating for local control, Providence is facing significant financial obligations to its public schools. The city must allocate $15 million due to a financing dispute settlement, as determined by a Providence Superior Court judge under the Crowley Act. Mayor Smiley indicated that to fulfill this financial requirement, the city may need to increase property taxes beyond the state’s annual cap of 4%. A detailed estimate of necessary tax increases will be provided following a comprehensive citywide property revaluation, expected to conclude later in January 2024.
To generate additional revenue, the Mayor proposed applying the state’s 7% sales tax to commercial parking fees, potentially raising around $1 million annually for city funding. If approved, this new tax would not be implemented until January 1, 2026, and there are currently no plans to raise meter rates.
Discussions surrounding the local school control legislation have not yet included the education commissioner, Angélica Infante-Green, who was not informed of the proposals. Moreover, Commissioner Morente highlighted the necessity of preparing local stakeholders adequately before any shift in control from the state back to the city. Meanwhile, State Senator Sam Zurier has engaged with the mayor’s office regarding local control, expressing a need for greater clarity on the feasibility of the proposed timeline.
In conjunction with the plans for education, Mayor Smiley’s administration intends to refine the Crowley Act to clarify the city’s funding responsibilities while also seeking to limit the state education commissioner’s authority over state aid. Furthermore, Smiley aims to update the Rebuild RI tax credit, which supports various redevelopment projects, including a significant initiative to convert the Superman skyscraper into residential apartments. The administration emphasizes the need to adjust tax incentives to encompass new construction and conversions of commercial properties into housing units.
As the community listening sessions commence, the Providence School Board aims to leverage parent insights to guide the future of education in the city, highlighting the critical role local involvement plays in shaping a successful transition back to local control of schools.
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Additional Resources
- ABC6: Providence Schools Listening Session
- Providence Journal: Meet Providence’s New School Board Members
- Rhode Island Current: Smiley Wants Providence Schools Back
- The Reporter Online: Opposition to Homeless Facility
- Wikipedia: Providence, Rhode Island
