Providence Public School Board votes to take back control of schools

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — After six years of state control, the Providence Public School Board voted unanimously to move on from the Rhode Island Department of Education’s oversight over the district.

PPSD voted nine to zero to return local control to the district after the Rhode Island Department of Education took over the failing district in November of 2019.

While optimism was the general tone of the meeting, there is a sense of caution in moving forward too quickly.

The vulnerable position remains moving forward, but officials with the school board also made a point to highlight that “status quo” doesn’t work for students either.

School Board President Erlin Roger sent a statement that read:

“The turnaround was initiated because the status quo was failing our students. We were promised accountability and meaningful change. While some progress has been achieved, the reality is that our school system still underserves a vast majority of our students.”

Providence School Board Members said the community wants a voice and that they deserve one.

“I believe it’s our obligation as a school board to always vote in favor of what community wants. And community wants a say, community wants a voice. And this is not about vilification, it’s about keeping it real. If the commissioner showed up to meetings every month and was accountable to us and the community, I might be voting differently,” said Providence School Board member Angel Newmann.

Ultimately, the decision on local control will come down to RIDE Commissioner Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green.

“In Providence, they intervened in hope high school and it showed amazing gains. And then, when that was let go there was backsliding. And that’s what we want to avoid,” said Infante-Green.

“We need to have a strong structure before we start talking about how it goes back. And that’s what we’re looking at now, whether it’s ready,” she continued.

Infante-Green didn’t give an exact timeline on her decision moving forward but she did say the goal is to get this done before the upcoming school year.