CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — The blue-and-white banner exclaiming “anticipation” on the front of Central Falls High School seems like a cruel joke for an institution so chronically troubled that its leaders decided to fire every teacher by year’s end.
No more than half of those instructors would be hired back under a federal option that has enraged the state’s powerful teachers union, earned criticism from students and brought praise from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and some parents.
The mass firings were approved by the school district’s board of trustees Tuesday night after talks failed between Superintendent Frances Gallo and the local teachers union over implementing changes, including offering more after-school tutoring and a longer school day. The teachers say they want more pay for the additional work.
The shake-up comes as Rhode Island’s new education commissioner, Deborah Gist, pushes the state to compete for millions of dollars in federal funding to reform the worst 5 percent of its schools, including Central Falls. State law requires schools to warn teachers by Monday if their jobs are in jeopardy for the following school year.
To get the money, schools must choose one of four paths set under federal law, including mass firings. The Associated Press
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