RI Federation of Teachers Urges Raimondo to Oppose Charter School Expansion in New Campaign
GoLocalProv News Team
RI Federation of Teachers Urges Raimondo to Oppose Charter School Expansion in New Campaign
“This is a grassroots campaign that will be driven by our members and those who have a stake in public education – from teachers to support professionals to parents to students to local taxpayers. We should learn a lesson from Massachusetts, a state that puts a high value on public education, (and) where voters just soundly rejected the expansion of charters. This is an issue that affects everyone, and we will do everything in our power to educate and activate affected Rhode Islanders,” said Frank Flynn, President of RIFTHP.
The RI Council on Elementary and Secondary Education has scheduled a vote on the issue for December 20.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Proposals
Flynn criticized the two proposals. He states that in one proposal Providence could lose $179 million, and in another proposal, one of two Central Falls elementary schools could close.
“One expansion proposal set for a vote will create a parallel school district in Providence. This proposal does not have the support of the mayors of two of the four sending communities. According to the Providence City Auditor, the district will lose about $179 million once the expansion is completed. The education funding formula has not yet been fully implemented and it would be catastrophic to Providence students in district public schools if charter tuition payments balloon.
He continued, “another proposal could potentially cause the closure of one of the two elementary schools in Central Falls in the foreseeable future and continue to destabilize the entire school district. Currently, more than one-third of Central Falls’ students attend charter schools, and further expansion jeopardizes the ability of the school district to meet the needs of the remaining students.”
Charter Schools in RI
In RI, 95% of students attend district public schools, while 5% attend charter schools. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education is required by law to give substantial weight to the fiscal impact on the participating municipalities as well as giving substantial weight to the programmatic impact on school districts.
“The future of public education in Rhode Island is at stake. Charter schools are already siphoning more than $100 million every year from public school districts, forcing devastating cuts to school resources and programs that our students depend on. We represent teachers in some of the districts most impacted by charters – places that have seen reduced numbers of guidance counselors, school nurses, and social workers, and elimination of arts and music programs, world language programs, after-school activities, and sports. Fiscal constraints have also led to reductions in the number of special education teachers, even though the district public schools serve a higher percentage of special education students than charter schools. Even basic materials like pencils and paper are no longer being provided in some districts. And now they want to expand them even further? After twenty years, there is little evidence that the charter school experiment has improved Rhode Island’s education system. We are funding these charters at the expense of the 95% of kids who attend public schools. It’s unconscionable that we are taking away from the kids who need these resources the most,” said Flynn.
Flynn went on to talk about the process.
“This entire process is extremely flawed and lacks transparency. This issue is being rammed down the public’s throat, even though it is clear that these proposals will have a severe negative programmatic and fiscal impact on public school districts. Adding millions of dollars of mandated charter tuition payments is not prudent for cities and towns, and adding financial obligations will cause district public schools to cut positions and programs for students. Shockingly, the public was not provided fiscal or programmatic data on these proposals during the public comment period. This is too important of an issue for the Council to vote on without letting the public see how it will affect their own public schools, children, and taxpayers.”
For more on the campaign, click here.
The Power List - Health and Education, 2016
Inside Man
Russell Carey - A name few outside of Brown’s campus know, but Carey is the power source at the Providence Ivy League institution.
Today, his title is Executive Vice President and he has had almost every title at Brown short of President. Carey is a 1991 graduate of Brown and has never left College Hill.
While Brown’s President Christine Paxson — who is functionally invisible in Rhode Island — is managing alumni affairs and fundraising, Carey is influencing almost everything in Rhode Island.
Top Raimondo Appointment
Nicole Alexander-Scott - MD, MPH, and rock star in the making. As Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, she is fast developing a reputation as someone in the Raimondo Administration who can get things done. Her counsel and leadership on developing a strategy on opioid addiction has been widely been lauded.
In addition, she has handled the mundane - from beach closings to food recalls - with competency. An expert in infectious disease, it may be time for her to become a strong leader on Zika.
The CEO
Ronald Machtley - Bryant University's President rightfully deserves to be on a lot of lists, but what few understand is that Machtley’s influence extends far beyond Bryant’s campus in Smithfield. Machtley could make this list as a business leader or as a political force as much as for education.
Machtley is recognized for transforming Bryant University from a financially struggling regional college to a university with a national reputation for business.
Machtley serves on Amica’s Board and the Rhode Island Foundation, and also serves on the Board of Fantex Brands.
Power Broker
Larry Purtill - While Bob Walsh gets the face time as the Executive Director in the media for the NEA of Rhode Island, NEARI President Purtill tends to be the inside man who gets things done.
The teachers' largest union is formidable, but is still reeling from the beat down it took when Gina Raimondo’s pension reform cut the benefits of teachers disproportionately over other employee groups.
Make no mistake about it - not much happens in education in Rhode Island without Purtill's sign-off.
Visionary
Mim Runey - While Rhode Islanders wait, and wait some more, for development on the 195 land, Johnson and Wale's University's Runey is watching it come to fruition, as JWU is set to open the first completed building on the former Interstate on September 1, when it will host a ribbon cutting for its John J. Bowen Center for Science and Innovation.
Under Runey, JWU continues to establish its foothold as one of the country's top schools for culinary training. Now Runey will oversee the addition of the new building on the old 195 which will house the university's School of Engineering and Design and its biology program.
In 2015, students from the School of Engineering & Design participated in the construction of the Holocaust Memorial on South Main Street, a collaboration between the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Holocaust Education Resource Center of Rhode Island.
A true community partner in every sense, JWU under Runey's watchful eye is expanding to an even greater presence in Providence.
Chairman of the Board
Edwin J. Santos - The former banker is Chairman of the Board of CharterCare, after having been a top executive at Citizens Bank. He has been a board leader for Crossroads, Washington Trust, Rocky Hill School -- you name it and Santos has helped to lead it.
His best work to date just might be at CharterCare, where he has helped the once fledgling hospital (Roger Williams Medical Center) into a growing hospital system.
Lion Tamer
Weber Shill - He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of University Orthopedics, or in other words, dozens and dozens of oh-so-confident docs.
Shill has a background in Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from the Whitemore School at the University of New Hampshire. Experienced in managing medical groups, but this group is big and influential.
Boss
Timothy Babineau - President and CEO of Lifespan, Rhode Island's biggest healthcare organization, where financial challenges make the job that much more complicated.
Now, the critics (GoLocalProv included) are raising concerns about the multi- billion dollar organization's refusal to make any contribution to the City of Providence. Lifespan is like General Motors, big and hard to innovate the organization.
