EDITORIAL: Rhode Island State Senate Train Wreck

EDITORIAL: Rhode Island State Senate Train Wreck

Each year in the General Assembly, there are bad bills submitted — ones that are poorly drafted, have ridiculous concepts, or are unconstitutional, but this year, the Rhode Island State Senate is pushing legislation that is at its core just cruel. 

On Wednesday, the Senate passed legislation to retroactively cancel more than 5,500 lifeboat seats for primarily Providence and Central Falls children to escape their deplorable fate of simply being born or raised in cities with among the worst schools in America. The bill sponsors call the legislation a moratorium or a pause. They are right. It is a moratorium -- for any chance that urban kids can possibly receive a better education.

The lifeboat seats that were approved by the state’s Board of Education were to allow inner city kids to get out of the hell that is the underperforming Providence and Central Falls school systems and have the chance to enter a public lottery for a chance at a viable education.

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Yes, the Senate decided to jump in and micromanage the schools.

The legislation, authored by Senator Maryellen Goodwin. is a fundamentally flawed bill as it is a) retroactive and b) contains language which is blatantly unconstitutional and c) intrudes on the effort to improve opportunities for the poorest school children.

For Goodwin’s constituents who attend Providence schools, let's take a look at the education they are getting. After all, Goodwin wants to make sure these kids continue to get the kind of education they have been getting -- she is legislating the status quo.

At Providence public schools 98% of the students took the English Language Arts section of RICAS, and:

35% did not met expectations;

47.8% partially met exceptions;

16% met expectations, and;

1.3% exceeded expectations.

 

Wait, let’s head over to the math scores in Providence schools.

40% did not meet expectations;

47.2% partially met expectations;

11.3% met expectations, and;

0.7% exceeded expectations.

 

That’s right, in Providence, across all public schools, more than 80 percent of students can’t score high enough to meet expectations, and more disturbing is only 1.3% and 0.7% exceed expectations. By the way, exceeding expectation doesn’t get you a full ride to the Ivy League.

The scores are chilling. The uncaring defense of the existing failed school system is so cruel.

Goodwin is fighting to preserve the system that launched Providence into the national spotlight with the release of the Johns Hopkins reports. The Wall Street Journal dubbed Providence schools an "Education Horror Show."  Under Goodwin's legislation children are trapped in these schools.  

As long-time public school teacher and advocate Jo Eva Gaines recently said in a Senate hearing:

“That vote [for the expansion of charter schools] was born out of frustration. The lack of frustration in those schools Providence and Central falls in particular,” said Gaines.

She cited failed efforts to improve these urban schools going for more than 35 years. And while Providence and Central Falls schools get all the press -- negative press -- Pawtucket schools perform equally poorly.

“There have been three generations of students since I first went on the board of education [in 1985] who had a hit or miss education and the reports indicate that the majority of those students had a missed opportunity,” said Gaines.

“We can’t continue on the path. We have to do better. The status quo will not improve anything,” added Gaines. 

But Goodwin and cronies defend the status quo.

Goodwin’s decision to sentence thousands of children to have no escape from this level of "achievement" is an academic death sentence. Wasted lives. 

Goodwin teamed up with the likes of State Senator Ryan Pearson - the Senate’s self-proclaimed education expert who has never been in a Providence school — and Senator Sandra Cano — who previously as a member of the Pawtucket School Committee saw that school system drop to disaster levels of performance.

If you think Providence schools are dreadful, don’t look for a big move up in Pawtucket. In Pawtucket in math just 17.8% met or exceed expectations and in ELA 24.3%.

The Senate education dream team’s so called moratorium is literally cruel and unusual punishment for city kids. Thousands of poor families are on waiting lists to attend public charter schools already.

Goodwin said in a statement, “At its core, this legislation is about giving the General Assembly the opportunity to review the current funding structure, which draws from traditional public schools,” said Goodwin. “This legislation is about saving traditional public schools. It is about ensuring that the children in those traditional public schools aren’t left behind. Providing access to a quality public education – for all students, including those in our traditional schools – needs to be of the highest importance for us in the General Assembly.”

Saving traditional schools? A chance to review? Throw more money at a system proven to be inept and incapable of educating the next generation? Got it -- let all kids sink instead of providing a lifeline. 

With the well-documented academic "performances" of Providence's high schools Hope, Mount Pleasant or Central....just what are we saving?

The question for Goodwin is the limbo question -- how low can you go? What level of failed academics are low enough to make you get out of the way?

Senator, check your math. We really can’t get much lower.