Hundreds of Providence teaching jobs in limbo as district releases displacement letters
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — More than 350 teaching jobs in Providence are now in limbo, as members of the faculty received letters indicating they may not have a job in the fall.
According to the district, the displacements are largely due to the financial strain its facing.
367 letters were sent out to Providence teachers, compared to the 233 displacement letters sent out last year.
A spokesperson for Providence Public Schools said this process is followed every year.
A majority of the 367 Providence school teachers that received a displacement letter got them on Friday, with the letters describing six reasons a teacher is being displaced.
Maribeth Calabro, the president of the Providence Teachers Union explains why the number of teachers being displaced is so much greater than 2023.
“I think more teachers are getting the letters because the financial situation within the district is requiring that the coaches and interventionist and counselors at the elementary level needed to be displaced and redistributed,” Calabro said.
Another letter sent by Deputy Superintendent of Operations Zack Scott cited financial challenges the district is facing due to the expiration of federal funds and a decline in enrollment.
In order to obtain a position for the next school year, teachers are required to apply to at least five positions that they are certified in, something Calabro said will be difficult.
“If there are five positions for them, they should apply for them,” Calabro said. “That won’t be true in every educator type or certification area, there will not be five options for them to apply to. Should they apply to all that are available to them? Yes.”
A spokesperson for PPSD said, of the 233 displacement letters sent out in 2023, none of them resulted in layoffs.
But Calabro said this is not an easy time for Providence educators, especially with the uncertainty of their livelihoods on the line.
“Displacements are not layoffs, but they still come with a level of anxiety, a level of distress, a level of unsureness and what if and what happens when, what’s going to happen at the end of the year, what if I’m not successful,” Calabro said.
“They have to spiff up their resumes, they have to read cover letters and they have to apply to positions and interview, and, then hopefully, they are successful in their interviews and get positions,” Calabro added.
The statutory deadline for the district to announce layoffs is June 1.
The full letters from district officials can be seen below (click to expand):
