Minority Staff Turnover in Providence School Dept. Questioned by State Senator
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
A long standing State Senator is questioning recent staff changes in the Providence Public School Department (PPSD), pointing out that a majority of them have been minorities.
"There's some serious concerns in the community," said Senator Harold Metts (Democrat - District 6, Providence) of the apparent ethnic and gender disparities. "With Joyce O'Connor retiring -- she was the EEO officer -- with everything that's happened, I don't know if was just her time, or if she saw the writing on the wall."
"Something's going on," continued Metts. "Is it becoming like it used to be years ago? Whatever the case is, it's becoming more clear that there's a disparity."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMetts, who had been an Assistant Principal for the Providence School Department, graduated from Roger Williams University with a BS Business Administration, Bryant College with a Social Business Teacher Certification, and Rhode Island College with a Masters of Education-Secondary Administration -- had started out his career in the PPSD EEO office right out of school.
"We know what the city looks like," said Metts. "The kids need to see more people who look like them in the buildings."
Pointing to Changes
Metts said that two changes that he first heard of this summer piqued his interest in following closely what was going on.
"While I was on vacation in July, I was told that Jose Gonzalez and Dr. Tomas Ramirez had been brought in and were told to resign immediately," said Metts, who said he has concerns in particular about how a particular current PPSD employee is "being given a hard time."
"The only thing I know, is when you look at the demographics of the school department and you see how many minorities are currently there and you look at the staffing...if you're saying that diversity and EEO is your goal, the last thing you do is get rid of minorities," said Metts.
Metts said additional conversations he had with people in the city further raised concern with him.
"My wife and I went out for ice cream...my wife is a retired guidance from Roger Williams [Middle School]," said Metts. "We ran into a female minority math teacher she knew, who recently got her administration degree. [This teacher] didn't get a job in Providence, but she got one in the suburbs. What does that say?"
PPSD recently appointed a new interim superintendent, and long-time spokesperson Christina O'Reilly is no longer with the department.
Mayor Jorge Elorza's spokesperson Evan England responded to the press inquiry, and pointed out on Tuesday that no actual firings have taken place. "There were no terminations this summer (or since)," said England.
A recent school board update reflects the resignations by Ramirez, Gonzalez, as well as others during the summer months.
"It's something to look at. The figures speak for themselves," said Metts. "We have to be open and committed do providing equal opportunities within the school department."
Related Slideshow: Rhode Island School Superintendent Salaries
Below are the salaries of school superintendents in Rhode Island, starting with the lowest paid. Data is for 2013 and was provided by the state Division of Municipal Finance. Where relevant, longevity pay is also listed. All school superintendents are listed except those in the independent school districts in Foster and Glocester. The combined Foster-Glocester district is included. In order to provide a more informed basis for comparing superintendents from one community to another, the annual student enrollment and total expenditures are also listed. (The data is for fiscal year 2012, the latest available from the state Department of Education.)
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