EDITORIAL: Elorza Is Right to Veto Charter Change on School Board

EDITORIAL: Elorza Is Right to Veto Charter Change on School Board

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza is 100% right to veto the proposed change by some members of the city council pushing to amend the city charter to create a new structure for the Providence School Board.

Make no mistake about it -- the council is doing the teachers union's bidding. Presently, the members of the school board are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council.

If the council doesn’t like appointments, they are the representatives elected, and it is firmly within their power in the existing structure to block appointees that they don’t believe are fit to serve.

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The changes proposed by the council -- and vetoed by Elorza -- would create a hybrid school board model. Some board members would continue to be appointed, but a powerful block -- an equal number -- would be elected.

Those who support the agenda of the teachers' union would receive the union's political tools.

And money, money, and more money. 

Those running who might be raising legitimate issues counter to the union's agenda would be at an overwhelming disadvantage in local small-town politics.

From an editorial position, GoLocal has often been highly critical of Elorza’s policies over the past seven-plus years — too often, his laissez-faire approach to quality of life issues, such as crime, sense of community, decent streets free of ATVs and graffiti... but we believe that his assessment of this proposal is correct.

There is a harsh reality. Providence's schools are in shambles. They are the worst of the worst in America. Study after study has proven it.

In 1993, the former President of URI chaired a study of the Providence schools, and the report found that Providence’s teaching techniques were lacking; the high schools performed poorly, and there were “troubling questions about the equity of opportunity offered to children with special needs.” The report identified problems with English learning programs, lack of commitment by teachers, concerns about safety in the schools and increasing discipline problems. 

Then, in 2019, a study by Johns Hopkins rated the Providence Schools among the worst in the country -- READ HERE.

Now, post-COIVD, the situation is worse and at a critical level. The average urban student has been set back two academic years, according to numerous studies. Some say the learning loss is even greater.  There needs to be a period of child-only focus. Children without the economic resources to flee the city or attend prep and parochial schools have been left in a culture of decay and failed outcomes.

Bringing even more special interests and politics into the fold is the last thing Providence schools need.

The members of the city council would be well served to drop this agenda now and in the future.