EDITORIAL: Dear Graduates of Providence Public Schools, We Owe You a Few Apologies

EDITORIAL: Dear Graduates of Providence Public Schools, We Owe You a Few Apologies

Dear Providence High School Graduates:

We, the citizens of Providence and the State of Rhode Island, owe you an apology.

For the past 12 years, we promised to provide you with a quality education. When you entered elementary school, we assured you that you would learn some basic skills.  Specifically, we pledged that you would learn to read, write, and learn some basic math.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Sorry. For the overwhelming majority of you, the bad news is that you have none of these skills. The vast majority of you cannot read at grade level. 

Your math skills are virtually non-existent and your writing skills are grade levels behind.

How do we know? There are a cadre of tests that demonstrate that Providence school children do not meet "basic expectations."

Oops.

You cannot attend college or university right now. For most of you, you simply don’t have skills. Most of you will not go directly to college and your lifetime career earnings will be damaged.

Oh, and we didn't get you prepared for the trades either. Please know, it was all just a governmental oversight.

You will have to rebuild your education at your own effort and own expense. Our bad.

For about 30 years we have known that Providence public schools are inferior. No one ever moves from Barrington to Providence for the schools.

For the past three decades, we have run through superintendents as regularly as the Italian government has run through prime ministers. Oh wait, you might not get that reference, because no one taught you much about global issues.

Okay, let’s go with Kardashians roll through boyfriends. Oh, yes, that feels better. It is dumbed down.

Sure, for many years, Providence teachers would simply not attend parent-teacher conferences.  And one time, the city even fired all the teachers. The funny thing is that the city did not have a plan as to what to do next, and changed its minds immediately.

Heck, no harm done.

Now, for two years since the release of the Johns Hopkins report, when we were all embarrassed and jumped to action to immediately improve the city's failing schools, not much has changed. 

The woman in "charge" of your education has barely visited any of your schools -- except for a couple of public relations events. Oops, sorry again. She has been busy!

We have hired some top-notch people to turn things around.

[Awkward pause.]

Well, sorry again, but do know the creepy toe popper was...asked to resign..only after he was arrested.

And the now-former Superintendent, who functionally covered up the creepy guy he knew from their time in Florida? Well, we paid him $169K to get rid of him.

But, know we have hired a top-tier pro to take over. Oh wait -- we have not gotten around to that either.

Believe us. We are on this. Those 20,000 of you still in the school system -- we are all over it. We are on this. We promise.

By the time your children come to these schools in 15 years or so, we will have all the success we have had over the last 30 years. We promise. Pinky-swear. 

Do know, we did get the right name on your diplomas as we reprinted them without the name of the guy we just paid $169,000 to go away. 

It only cost a few thousand dollars to reprint. 

Finally, there is a little more bad news. The education promised to you has in the end failed you, despite promises by "leaders."

The diplomas you are receiving are not worth the paper they are written on. 

P.S. Most Rhode Island leaders really don't care. Heck, they live in the suburbs or send their kids to prep or Catholic schools.