Union Votes No Confidence in Evans, McClure

By Linda Borg

Teachers say they are frustrated with what they perceive as a lack of direction and a lack of support for their jobs.

PROVIDENCE — The Providence Teachers Union has voted overwhelmingly to express its lack of confidence in the administration of Supt. Donnie Evans and School Board President Mary McClure.

Carrying signs that said, “Rekindle the Dream/Stop the Nightmare,” and “A Blizzard of Blunders,” more than 100 members of the union staged an informational picket in front of the School Administration Building at 797 Westminster St. early yesterday. Teachers, who received ballots by mail two weeks ago, voted 1,347 to 44 against the direction that the administration is taking, union President Steve Smith said yesterday.

The ballot question claimed that students were being denied a quality education and cited more than a dozen supposed missteps by the administration, including problems related to the Dec. 13 snowstorm, which stranded more than 100 students on school buses until late at night and resulted in a 30-day suspension of Tomas Hanna, the deputy superintendent of operations.

The ballot also cited Evans’ decision to increase class size for special education students, which resulted in an unsuccessful lawsuit by the union against the district; the supposed “flip-flop” on the new high school graduation requirements; and a “mass exodus” of teachers and administrators during Evans’ two-and-a-half years in office.

The no-confidence vote is just the latest episode in the deteriorating relationship between the union and administration. According to union leaders, teacher morale is at an all-time low. Meanwhile, the teachers’ contract expired seven months ago and a mediator was brought in earlier this winter to help speed negotiations.

Smith, however, isn’t the only one who has become increasingly critical of Evans’ leadership. In the wake of the school bus problems in December, five members of the City Council signed a resolution calling for Evans’ dismissal, but later backed down after a strong lobbying effort by Mayor David N. Cicilline.

The union action comes as the School Board is scheduled to announce Tuesday whether Evans’ contract, which is due to expire Sept. 19, will be renewed. Although the union said it didn’t time the vote to coincide with the board’s decision, Smith said that he hopes the board takes notice of the teachers’ voices.

“December 13 was the culminating event,” Smith said yesterday. “That’s when we began to have a discussion about whether we should make a statement regarding the administration’s ability to lead the district. The vote is timely. At least the School Board can be under no illusion as to the overwhelming opinion of their employees.”

The School Department issued a short statement yesterday on behalf of Evans and McClure that said that the administration has tremendous respect for the “hard-working, dedicated teachers” of Providence and remains committed to negotiating a “forward-looking contract” that will put children first while supporting what teachers need.

“We have all been disheartened by years of poor student outcomes, including low graduation rates, high dropout rates, low test scores and low participation in advanced courses,” the statement said. “We must act now as educators to put aside any and all other motivations and work together to meet the needs of our students.”

In a memo sent to all principals Wednesday, Hanna said that any significant disruptions to student learning or safety issues as a result of the union’s picketing should be immediately reported to the administration’s operations office. The memo also said that any employee reporting late to work should be addressed “per normal protocols.”

Yesterday, teachers on the picket line expressed their frustration with what they perceive as a lack of direction together with a lack of support for the jobs they do every day.

Two teachers from Classical High School, Edward Rissio and Karen Hickey, complained that Evans has adopted a one-size-fits-all approach to high school curriculum, adding that the administration doesn’t recognize that Classical’s mission as a college-prep exam school differs from the other large high schools.

“Our professional development is in shambles,” a teacher said.

Teachers at Classical also said that the curriculum developed recently by the district and the professional training lack rigor. One teacher said that the new math curriculum is too easy for Classical students, who have to pass an examination to gain admission to the high school.

A guidance counselor from E{+3} Academy, a small high school, said that he gets conflicting messages from the central administration regarding the state’s new proficiency-based graduation requirements, which require students to demonstrate mastery by completing two of the following activities: end-of- course exams, senior projects or portfolios of their work. The new requirements apply to this year’s senior class.

“We’re here to show the superintendent and the School Board president that 1,300 teachers are dissatisfied with the job that they’re doing,” said Mary Beth Calabro, vice president of the union and a special education teacher at Nathanael Greene Middle School. “We want people to know that [the administration] has let the kids down.”

The last time that the union took a vote of no confidence was in October 2001, when Diana Lam was superintendent. At the time, 1,700 teachers also overwhelmingly rejected a three-year contact and agreed to work to rule.

Smith yesterday cited what he called “a litany of missteps, miscommunication and poor decision-making” by Evans and his administration, including the surprise decision last year to close (and ultimately relocate) West Broadway Elementary School and a proposal to permanently close Nathan Bishop Middle School, a decision that was later reversed after a public outcry by East Side parents. At the time, teachers and parents said they were blindsided by the decisions and complained that no one in administration asked for their opinions.

Smith said that the union has no plans to strike or work to rule, in which faculty members refuse to perform any duties beyond those spelled out in the contract.

“We’re going to continue to speak out at board meetings and plan on communicating our message to parents,” Smith said. “We will explore any and all vehicles, including contacting community groups and getting our message out through the news media.”

The union action comes as the School Board is scheduled to announce Tuesday whether Evans’ contract, which is due to expire Sept. 19, will be renewed.

lborg@projo.com / (401) 277-7823

Originally published by Linda Borg, Journal Staff Writer.

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