Interim Supt. Frances Gallo, no stranger to the city's schools, began her day greeting students at the Providence Career and Technical Academy, which sits at the confluence of three high schools, including Classical and Central High.
The mood was upbeat as teachers and principals steeled themselves for what could be a bumpy ride. The state's new education commissioner, Angélica Infante-Green, has announced her plans to take over the failing schools in the wake of a devastating report by Johns Hopkins University that found a district struggling with discipline, teacher absenteeism and low expectations for students.
Gallo has to steer the ship until a "turnaround superintendent" is hired in late fall. It will be up to this person to introduce sweeping reforms that could challenge everything from teacher contracts to the length of the school day.
Parent and community activists are already agitating about the lack of community input into the selection of a new superintendent; teachers, in some cases, are demoralized by what they fear will be a takeover that is done to them rather than with them.
True Rhode Islanders drink Del's lemonade, eat stuffies and get their news from newspapers actually in Rhode Island.Sign up for our newsletters.
Mayor Jorge Elorza spent the morning walking kids to Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School as part of the walking school bus program. Pushing his son, Omar, in a stroller, Elorza made the rounds with staff members and volunteers to pick up kids at their houses and walk with them the short distance to school.
On school grounds, he high-fived students as they waited for the morning bell. He said he felt confident that schools would begin to improve with the impending state takeover.
"There's going to be changes when folks come to school today, but I think that there's a sense of optimism with repairs to the schools and also with the state intervention and additional powers that they have," he said. "So I think that there's a lot to be hopeful and optimistic about."
He also said he felt assured that DelSesto Middle School, where a teacher was injured by en electric shock from faulty light switch last week, had been thoroughly checked and was safe for students and teachers to be in.
"That was her first day of school, her first year," Elorza said of the teacher. "I told her that it's going to get better, and she kind of chuckled about that. She was a really good sport.
"We feel confident that we've done our due diligence," he said. "But anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and so we're fully waiting for accidents and things that come up, and we'll be on top of it to repair it and address them as soon as they do."
For Gallo, a former superintendent of Central Falls who is no stranger to controversy, Tuesday was all about ensuring a smooth opening and boosting morale.
At PCTA, the day began with advisories, small-group settings where a teacher is assigned to mentor students for the rest of their high-school careers.
In one advisory, Gallo was asked to join students by writing down her goals for the year. She wrote, "Be kind every day ... and make learning consistent and fruitful."
Asked one word to describe herself, Gallo said, "determined."
Gallo is facing considerable challenges, from implementing a new cell phone policy to filling numerous teacher vacancies.
As of Aug. 27, there were about 90 openings, she said, but that is typical of the beginning of every school year. Classrooms without a full-time teacher are being staffed with full-time substitutes.
Asked about the cleanliness of the 41 schools, an issue that blew up after Infante-Green said two weeks ago that she was dissatisfied with their condition, Gallo said the conditions were "very good," adding that staff and maintenance workers, hired by Aramark, the food services contractor, had stepped up.
At Central High School, which underwent a sweeping renovation about 10 years ago, hallways were spotless. A sign posted outside one classroom said, "no cell phones," and an assistant principal said that policy was being adopted district-wide. Teachers were encouraged to collect cell phones at the beginning of class and place them in shoe bags until the end of class.
Providence City Council members also began weighing in Tuesday morning.
Ward 12 City Councilwoman Katherine Kerwin, who represents Smith Hill, Valley and Capital Center, said in a statement that parents, students and community members must be involved in the process to vet a new superintendent, any plan to improve the schools must be transparent and improvements must impact every student, not just a lucky few.
"On this first day of school in Providence, I remain concerned about both the physical conditions and the academic integrity of our schools," the statement says. "Starting today, students will be in class for hours each day, for many months. It is our duty as elected officials to ensure their experience does not continue to reflect what they have already endured for years in the Providence Schools."
Ward 13 City Councilwoman Rachel Miller, who represents Federal Hill and the West End, said in a statement that the state intervention must focus not only on improving student test scores, but also on enhancing social-emotional supports, cultural competency and intervention methods for behavioral issues.
"Let's embrace a plan to change how it feels to be in a Providence Public School every day," she wrote. "Let's create a culture that embraces learning, curiosity, and a deep respect for one another."
©2019 The Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
