As part of one-year deal, Providence students to get an extra 30 minutes of learning time

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Students in Providence will have their school day extended after the district and teachers union reached a one-year agreement Thursday.

Per the agreement, students will get an extra 30 minutes of learning time every day. That means, in total, elementary school students will get 6 hours and 45 minutes of daily instruction.

Meanwhile, middle and high schoolers will get 7 hours and 15 minutes of learning time. This, the district said, aligns with the Providence Turnaround Action Plan.

“To turn around Providence Public Schools and ensure students in the capital city get the world-class education they deserve,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green.

The one-year plan goes into effect from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2024.

“Thirty minutes is a big impact,” Infante-Green said. “Anything less than that, we wouldn’t really see an impact, so we were all committed to getting to that place. We knew that this was right for our kids.”

The plan also includes a cost-of-living wage increase of 2.5% at the start of the contract. There will be an additional three quarters-percent increase at the end of the year.

Providence schools said as part of the contract, there will be a provision of 90 minutes of professional development every other week after the school day, with four annual professional development days.

Providence Teachers Union president Maribeth Calabro said she was pleased to see teachers’ professionalism and dedication to students be recognized.

“This agreement is a testament to the power of collaboration and the collective belief in our student’s ability to achieve academic success in the wake of the pandemic,” Calabro said in part in a statement.

“This major investment in extending learning time and connecting educators to critical resources and training prioritizes the best interests of all our stakeholders and will help improve academic outcomes,” added Infante-Green.

The deal will “sunset” after one year.

Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez also added that school district officials said they thought about the parents throughout the process of extending the school day as well.

“Make sure that we close that achievements gap,” Montañez said. “But also, for the parents, when you look at the extended days making sure it helps the parents out at the end of the day with child care, so it’s a wrap-around service that we’re trying to make sure everyone is receiving.”