2023 -- H 5170

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LC000783

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

STRONGLY URGING THE PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE

RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REVERSE THE DECISION TO

CLOSE THE ALAN SHAWN FEINSTEIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THE CARL G. LAURO

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND THE GILBERT STUART MIDDLE SCHOOL

     Introduced By: Representatives Sanchez, Morales, Slater, Ajello, Kislak, Batista, Diaz,
Caldwell, Handy, and Potter

     Date Introduced: January 19, 2023

     Referred To: House Education

     WHEREAS, In November of 2019, the state assumed control of the school budget,

program and personnel of the Providence School District's 41 schools, an intervention that is

extended for at least five years; and

     WHEREAS, In December of 2022, the state-run Providence Public School District and

the Rhode Island Department of Education announced plans to shut down two elementary

schools, Alan Shawn Feinstein at Broad Street and Carl G. Lauro School at the end of the 2023-

2024 school year, and the Gilbert Stuart Middle School at the end of the 2024-2025 school year;

and

     WHEREAS, The three schools to be closed are neighborhood schools, defined as

“schools that were assigned according to boundaries drawn up by the school board. Children were

assigned a school according to their physical address”; and

     WHEREAS, Neighborhood schools not only serve families because of the close

proximity of the school to their homes, but also serve to support a sense of community; and

     WHEREAS, Former Governor Raimondo once stated, “Only by working together to

strengthen our neighborhood schools will we be able to create opportunities for everyone to make

it in Rhode Island”; and

     WHEREAS, In direct conflict to the School Department’s existing policy concerning the

need to consult with the affected community prior to making a decision, the pronouncement to

close these three schools was originally made without including members of the Providence

School Board, the Providence Teachers Union, and most importantly, without the support or input

of the students or parents who will be ultimately affected; and

     WHEREAS, The reasons cited was that “the schools are old and would cost too much to

fix” and “are part of a larger plan to modernize aging school facilities”; and

     WHEREAS, While the State has oversight on the Providence Schools budget, the School

Department maintains managerial responsibility in conjunction with the Rhode Island Department

of Education and the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education; and

     WHEREAS, Alternatives to these imminent closures, that would potentially lessen the

impact on the children and families, have not been publicly vetted and are essential to the

educational welfare of hundreds of Providence school children and their families; now, therefore

be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

strongly urges the Providence Public School District and the Rhode Island Department of

Education to reverse the decision to close the Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary School, the Carl

G. Lauro Elementary School, and the Gilbert Stuart Middle School; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to State Education Commissioner Angélica

Infante-Green, members of the Providence School Board, and Members of the Council on

Elementary and Secondary Education.

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