Update on School Closure Recommendations

Mayor Angel Taveras and Superintendent Thomas Brady are finalizing a recommended list of school closures that will be submitted to the School Board.

On Tuesday, March 1, two days before the Municipal Finances Review Panel released its report detailing Providence's unprecedented fiscal crisis, the City proposed a schedule for announcing school closures, rescinding teacher dismissals and engaging the public. Officials have narrowed the list of schools under consideration and are currently finalizing a plan to close schools and achieve necessary cost savings while prioritizing student needs, quality student learning and minimizing disruption in the lives of students, parents and school staff.

Providence Public School Department (PPSD) and administration officials are working with StudioJAED and Gilbane, who produced the PPSD 2010 Facilities Master Plan during a 9-month community engagement process, as well as officials at the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE). The finalized list of recommendations will be determined by a combination of factors recommended in the 2010 Facilities Master Plan. These include physical plant conditions, unmet building capacity, record of student achievement, feasibility of student relocation, community use, geographic concentration, educational adequacy, and cost of transportation. The school closure process must conform to both School Board policy and RIDE regulations.

About the need for a few more days of deliberation, Mayor Angel Taveras said, "Above all, this process needs to be done right; in a way that puts student learning first. If we need a few more days, then we are going to take that time to make sure the process is done right. I understand that the potential closure of a school is always difficult and painful for any community. While I do not want to prolong this period of worry and uncertainty for any student, teacher, parent, or citizen any longer than we have to, the Superintendent and I must make these decisions carefully."