Return of Providence Public Schools to Local Control Must Include Community Voice: OurSchoolsPVD

Statements included from OurSchoolsPVD Alliance press release

Student, parent and community organizations are responding to the planned return of Providence Public Schools to local control, saying the transition should not simply move decision-making from the Rhode Island Department of Education back to City Hall and the Providence School Board. They say it must include real commitments to students, families and the communities most affected by school decisions.

OurSchoolsPVD, a coalition formed in 2019 after RIDE took control of Providence Public Schools, said Providence youth, parents and community organizations have spent more than six years organizing for community voice in the transformation of the district. The group said the return to local control should include “real commitments from local leaders to prioritize community needs and partnership.”

“Returning our schools to local control is an opportunity to bring decision-making closer to the students, families, and communities most impacted by it. We hope district leaders will build real transparency and shared accountability with young people at the center of what comes next,” said Alisson Aviles, an 11th grader at Classical High School and a Co-Director of Providence Student Union.

OurSchoolsPVD said it was formed after a community-led “Motion to Intervene”,  “Motion to Intervene,” which sought a formal role for students and parents in the state takeover, was denied. The coalition has since focused on elevating youth and community voice in district transformation.

“As someone who attended Providence Public Schools my whole life, the research conducted by Johns Hopkins that led to the state takeover has been voiced by the community for decades. We have been fighting to ensure those most impacted—students, teachers, families, and community members—have a say in what happens in our schools, because our communities know what we need,” said Nancy Xiong, now 29, Program Manager with Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education and a 2019 graduate of Classical High School. Xiong has also been identified in public records as having attended Rhode Island College. In 2022 State House testimony, she identified herself as a senior at Rhode Island College and a lead organizer for ARISE.

In December 2024, OurSchoolsPVD youth leaders convened more than 100 community members to identify priorities for the future of Providence Public Schools, with a return to local control on the horizon.

The community needs identified by the group included student support; teachers who are supported and share students’ lived experience; relevant and engaging curriculum; fully funded schools; youth leadership and youth vision in school decisions; more spaces that center youth voices, leadership and power; more accountable and effective leadership; access to transportation; accessible information about education; fair and unbiased school policies; more information about the state takeover; safe school buildings and quality resources; an end to school closings without community input; impacted people at the center of decision-making; and safety at school.

“Young people and our families want to see our needs put back on top of PPSD’s list of priorities. Our communities have done the work to gauge where the district is lacking and make it clear what we need. A return to local control is the first step in bringing power back to the community. Step two is making sure local leaders deliver on their promises of transformative, equitable schools, this time with young people and our families at the forefront,” said Julianna Espinal, a 12th grader at Classical High School and a youth leader with Providence Youth Student Movement.

Community Forum Set

Youth, parents and organizational leaders with OurSchoolsPVD said they plan to attend RIDE’s June 3 community forum, “The Community’s Vision for the Future of Providence Public Schools,” where they will lift up what they describe as a vision of “Democracy, Dollars, and Dignity” for all youth and families.

The forum was announced in Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green’s community letter and is scheduled for June 3 at 6 p.m. at Providence Career and Technical Academy, 41 Fricker St., Providence. In the letter, Infante-Green invited Providence students, families, educators and community members to “play an active role in shaping what comes next.”

“As we receive an invitation to yet another forum, we have still not been given a plan to address the serious systemic issues still facing the district, ranging from funding to teacher accountability, to support for multilingual learners. I am extremely concerned about the future of parent and family engagement, which will be essential to any real transformation,” said Susan Rohwer, a parent leader with Parents Leading for Educational Equity.

The concerns from parents and students come as decision-making authority is expected to return to the Providence School Board and the City of Providence. But student leaders said the end of state control should not be treated as the end of the public conversation.

“As the end of the takeover localizes power and consolidates the decision-making process, young people’s ability to build power, participate in deliberation, and address issues regarding education with PPSD can become more accessible. While local control has the potential to be transformative, community members and local leaders have lacked the support and information needed throughout the takeover, including guidance on how to prepare for its end. Community members need full transparency to ensure this transition does not perpetuate the fault lines of PPSD, which caused the takeover,” said Kingsley Dye, a 10th grader at Providence Career and Technical Academy and a youth leader with Providence Student Union.

As decision-making control returns to the Providence School Board and the City of Providence, OurSchoolsPVD said it will continue to build power to create the schools youth and families deserve.

About OurSchoolsPVD: OurSchoolsPVD is an alliance of youth-led organizations and community allies organizing for education justice in Providence Public Schools. We came together in 2019 after the state took control of Providence Public Schools to ensure that those who are most impacted by what happens in our education system have a voice in decision-making. OurSchoolsPVD builds power to transform Providence Public Schools and advance Democracy, Dollars, and Dignity for all youth and families.  For more information about OurSchoolsPVD, go to @OurSchoolsPVD on Instagram.

OurSchoolsPVD includes the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE), Providence Student Union (PSU), Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM), Youth In Action, Young Voices, Parents Leading for Educational Equity (PLEE), Rhode Island Center for Justice, and the Center for Youth and Community Leadership in Education (CYCLE).