PROVIDENCE – The city and the Providence Teachers Union reached a tentative agreement that closes the school budget deficit.
According to the agreement, termination notices will be rescinded for teachers who lost positions because of the city’s fiscal crisis. Notices issued for other causes will stand.
The agreement would save the city $53 million – $41 million in spending reductions and $12 million in “other” concessions.
The executive board of the Providence Teachers Union voted to ratify the proposal and members have begun their review, the union said. Teachers will vote on Aug. 4 and Aug. 9; the agreement must also be ratified by the City Council.
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The agreement, which extends to Aug. 1, 2014, includes:
The district will also gradually increase the length of the school day and three years from now students will spend 15 more minutes each day at school. That will equate to an additional two weeks of learning time over the school year, the city said in a news release.
Although it’s not a contractual stipulation, the district will immediately increase instructional time by ending the practice of dismissing students early every week to accommodate state-mandated common planning time.
Additionally, Providence will officially begin annual teacher evaluations beginning in September, the news release said.
Teachers who have their terminations rescinded will be placed in open positions based on student need within the district by the school department, the city said, while noting there will be no “bumping” of junior teachers for all three years of the contract.
“Rebuilding a strong relationship with our city’s teachers is vital to improving public education in Providence,” Mayor Angel Taveras said. “I am hopeful that with the start of a new school year, we will focus our collective energy on improving achievement for every Providence public school student.”
