The Providence Journal reports on the state’s slow motion takeover of the Providence schools.
No superintendent has been appointed. Meanwhile the state has placed Frances Gallo in charge of Providence as Interim Superintendent. Previously Gallo was superintendent of the state’s lowest performing district, Central Falls.
Some candidates have already turned down the job.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The Gates Foundation sent millions to support mayoral control and to “de-personalize education” with tech. Providence is a study in complete chaos made worse by the money flowing to politicians who have no interest in education and even less competence in the rudiments of governance of, by, and for the people.
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So true.
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well said
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I shudder to think what exquisite new tortures await public schools as a result of the $36 billion Gates was just awarded from the DOD. Hang on folks – here comes another wave of privatization and charter expansion that no one wants or needs.
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This commentary is from a former teacher, principal, Teacher Union leader (with my own comments added in) who, like many of us know, that Infante-Green was hired by raimondo to break the union, close down public ed and put in charters
Both raimondo and Infante-Green are school choice believers who are loners and work alone; they are not team workers; Ask the parents and students who wanted inclusion of Prov policies, They were told NO!
From an efficiency point of view, the Commish will now also be the ultimate superintendent of the largest and most troubled district in RI. Add in the overall need to make fundamental improvements throughout every school system in the state (as evidenced by generally lower test scores). Plus, she has hired and endorsed two educational non-performers to assist her (as evidence by their dismal performance as superintendents in the smallest city in the state- where one by the way is a personal connection – Victor Capellan, the newly appointed senior adviser to Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, is the g
odfather to the new commissioner’s son,
She put this “godfather” in a city (Central Falls) where the test results are even worse than those of Providence. That city has been in state control for approximately 18 years without any significant improvement. Why expect something different when the situation is almost exactly the same?
The now Commissioner in RI was a finalist for the same position in Massachusetts last year. And has announced, along with the governor, an intent to hire Teach for America graduates for Providence schools.
This is the same approach as the path taken by Gov Raimondo to solve its underfunded pension problem, make it a failure (by shifting management of pension investment funds to Wall St. Hedge Fund investors) and begin a transformation that costs the state less in mandatory contributions, significantly reduces pension benefits to teachers and state workers, and uses retiree’s COLA (that she took away) as fees to Hedge Fund managers for their support and campaign contributions when she ran for governor. quid pro quo.
So why we read about the ‘Turtle Pace’ and evidence supports ineptness on the part of leadership at the state level, there is, or at least the possibility of, a need to stall until a Charter school proponent applies for and is appointed to the job. Already, there are reports that some applicants were interviewed and subsequent to the interview, withdrew from further consideration. Some perspective superintendents are quitting before they are hired. What changed their mind?
Wouldn’t we all like to know?
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Raimondo is the hedge funds’ operative. She is a DINO at the head of the DGA. Matt Taibbi exposed her and John Arnold in the Rolling Stones article about Looting the Pensions.
Nothing good will ever come to the American people by having Gina in office.
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Rhode Islanders who support public schools shouldn’t lose sight of the antagonism toward public schools by, politically active, authoritarian, conservatives in the Catholic Church, some of whom also have disdain for the rights of labor An article at, “Catholics for the Common Good”, which disparages public schools, provides a glimpse at the viewpoint.
Providence Bishop, Thomas Tobin, who is highly political (in the news relative to gay rights this summer) and influential in the capitol (R.I. has the highest percent Catholic population in the U.S.) wrote a few months ago, “In the ongoing debate about troubled public schools, don’t overlook a viable alternative-Catholic schools….”. Raimondo’s kids go to private schools- one Catholic. The Napa Institute, on the side of religion, has a legal group available to assist when issues of church and state arise in court cases. Tax funding for religious schools is a type of case that is in the category.
The far right political party in Belgium promotes the need “to save” Catholic schools as part of their hook for support. The extreme right in Europe is steered by the well-funded Steve Bannon (Catholic). The “saving Catholic schools” PR can be found in prominent ed reform group’s articles in the U.S. and in the Koch-linked network.
The Gates-funded Bellwether wrote this summer that ed reformers should reach out to churches to achieve their goals in the south.
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