§ 16-7.1-5.1. Intervention and support for the Providence public school district. [Expires on July 1, 2024.]
(a) No later than September 1, 2022, and in order to assess the Providence school district across multiple measures of district performance and student success, the commissioner shall update the turnaround action plan released June 23, 2020 (the “turnaround plan”), to include measurable annual goals including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Student attendance and suspension rates;
(2) Student safety and discipline;
(3) Student promotion, graduation, and dropout rates;
(4) Student achievement on the Rhode Island comprehensive assessment system;
(5) Progress in areas of academic underperformance;
(6) Progress among subgroups of students, including low-income students, English learners, and students receiving special education;
(7) Reduction of achievement gaps among different groups of students;
(8) Student acquisition and mastery of twenty-first century skills;
(9) Development of college readiness, including at the elementary and middle school levels;
(10) Parent and family engagement;
(11) Building a culture of academic success among students;
(12) Building a culture of student support and success among faculty and staff;
(13) Recruitment and retention of a qualified, diverse workforce;
(14) Staffing ratios and teacher vacancies;
(15) Health and safety of facilities; and
(16) Developmentally appropriate child assessments, if applicable.
(b) Effective March 1, 2023, and for the duration of the turnaround, the Providence school board shall meet at least monthly, and more frequently if necessary, to provide public input of district performance and implementation of turnaround strategies. The Providence school board shall have, at a minimum, the following powers and duties:
(1) To review and advise the commissioner on the appointment of senior school district administrators, provided that the Providence school board shall not have the authority to appoint senior school district administrators so long as the turnaround plan is in effect;
(2) To advise the commissioner on districtwide policy, provided that the Providence school board shall not have the authority to establish districtwide policy so long as the turnaround plan is in effect;
(3) To review progress toward annual performance measures;
(4) To receive feedback from stakeholders on the implementation of the turnaround plan;
(5) To establish appropriate advisory committees as needed to provide guidance on the implementation of the turnaround plan; and
(6) Any other duties delegated to the Providence school board by the commissioner or the council on elementary and secondary education (the “council”).
(c)(1) The order of reconstitution and control, issued October 15, 2019, shall be authorized for a period of not more than five (5) years from issuance. The commissioner and turnaround superintendent may jointly develop additional components of the turnaround plan and shall jointly develop annual goals for each component of the plan in a manner consistent with this section. The superintendent shall be responsible for meeting the goals of the turnaround plan.
(2) The commissioner and superintendent shall provide a written report to the Providence school board at a minimum, on a biannual basis to provide specific information about the progress being made on the implementation of the district’s turnaround plan. One of the quarterly reports shall include progress toward annual measures, pursuant to this section.
(3) The commissioner shall evaluate the performance of the superintendent on not less than an annual basis. The purpose of such evaluation shall be to assess the implementation of the turnaround plan and determine whether the district has met the annual goals contained in the turnaround plan. The evaluation shall be in writing and submitted to the council and the Providence school board no later than July 1 for the preceding school year.
(4) If the commissioner determines that the district has met the annual performance goals stated in the turnaround plan, the evaluation shall be considered sufficient and the implementation of the turnaround plan shall continue.
(5) If the commissioner determines that the superintendent has not met one or more goals in the plan and the failure to meet the goals may be corrected through reasonable modification of the plan, the commissioner, after consultation with the Providence school board and with the approval of the council, may amend the turnaround plan.
(6) If the commissioner determines that the superintendent has substantially failed to meet multiple goals in the turnaround plan, the commissioner may terminate such superintendent.
(d)(1) The council shall adopt regulations providing for:
(i) The end of turnaround status; and
(ii) The transfer of the operation of a school district from the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education to the school committee and municipal control.
(2) The regulations shall include provisions to allow a district to retain measures adopted in a turnaround plan for a transitional period if, in the judgment of the commissioner, the measures would contribute to the continued improvement of the district. Such regulations shall also include provisions that clearly identify the conditions under which such a transitional period shall end and the powers granted to the commissioner and council under this section shall cease to apply to the district.
(e) If, on the basis of the regulations adopted by the council pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the Providence school district has not improved sufficiently to remove the district from turnaround status, the commissioner may, after consultation with the Providence school board and with the approval of the council:
(1) Determine subsequent annual goals for each component of the turnaround plan with the turnaround superintendent, and renew the turnaround plan for an additional period of not more than three (3) years; and
(2) Create a new turnaround plan, consistent with the requirements of this section.
History of Section.
P.L. 2022, ch. 263, § 1, effective July 2, 2022; P.L. 2022, ch. 264, § 1, effective
July 2, 2022.