Providence Teachers Union on schools takeover: We're ready to work with state

PROVIDENCE — Less than a week after the State granted the Department of Education control of Providence schools, the Providence Teachers Union issued a report Monday declaring its willingness to work with the state on reform.

“While we may disagree with some aspects of what has transpired in the last two months, let’s be crystal clear,” the report states. “The PTU — after extensive review of the Johns Hopkins
Institute for Education Policy’s report on the Providence Public School District, and after participating in all the listening sessions held by Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green — is committed to partnering with the state to improve Providence Public Schools for all children.”

“The spirit and the structure of any state plan must recognize that teachers and school staff are part of the solution, not a problem to be overcome,” it reads. “While teachers and our union have much to contribute and a great eagerness to contribute it, the State of Rhode Island has the ultimate responsibility for the success of this plan.”

The Department of Education’s decision to seek control of Providence schools — a move supported by Mayor Jorge Elorza — came in the wake of a damning report that highlighted a culture of low discipline, low expectations, low communication and low learning that permeated the district.

Read more: https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190729/providence-teachers-union-on-schools-takeover-were-ready-to-work-with-state