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School Board

About the School Board

The Providence School Board is the governing body responsible for ensuring that the Providence Public School District provides a high-quality education for all Providence students. The School Board is not an administrative or day-to-day operations body but instead, governs by establishing a policy to guide the Superintendent in the administration and operation of the schools. This is achieved by monitoring progress toward achieving direct goals, and by engaging the community in planning for and supporting schools. The individual Board member works with the Board as a whole and collaboratively with the Superintendent to accomplish the district’s mission.

All school board meetings are streamed on YouTube. The District is continuing to prioritize access to the public by live-streaming meetings and posting recordings on our YouTube channel here.

PPSD Turnaround Plan and RIDE Intervention:

On July 23, 2019, The Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education voted to enact The Crowley Act, which authorizes RIDE to exercise control over the Providence Public School District’s (PPSD) budget, programming and personnel. RIDE is charged with developing and implementing a Turnaround Plan for PPSD. The Superintendent will be hired by RIDE and will report to the Commissioner of Education.  The Commissioner of Education is required to provide an annual report to the Mayor, the School Board, the City Council and the public on the implementation of the Turnaround Plan and its progress. It is essential that while during this turnaround period that Providence School Board members, the Mayor and Providence City Council collaborate as strong community advocates, dedicated to supporting the sustainable change that is needed to improve the quality of education for our children.

Interested in joining the board?  Visit the City of Providence application page for more information and timeline:  https://www.providenceri.gov/mayor/providence-school-board-application/ 

The Providence School Board hosted a series of community listening sessions to better understand the community's vision for youth in Providence. The input assisted the board in creating Student Centered Goals that will guide the district’s strategic plan.
 

School Board Goals and Guardrails

After synthesizing the notes and data from their 19 community listening sessions during The People’s Plan Campaign, the PPSD School Board with guidance from our student outcomes focused coaches at the Council of Great City Schools, found these common themes in the community’s voice for their visions and values:

  1. Academic competence / Literacy- 20-25%
  2. College and Career Readiness- 15-20%
  3. Life and Employability Skills- 10-15%
  4. Social Emotional Well-being and resilience- 8-12%
  5. Citizenship & Community Contribution- 8-10 %

Learn about the feedback received during the listening sessions here. Learn more about the People Plan initiative here.