Hundreds of teachers across the Providence Public School District have received letters called “displacement notices,” informing them that they will not be guaranteed their current job next year and would need to reapply for a job within the district. One round of more than 300 displacement notices were sent out Friday, and another round came Monday. This brings the total number of displacements to 367, which the Providence Teachers’ Union says is dozens more than last year. The teachers must now compete for fewer jobs than will be available, which thrusts them into a state of insecurity over their employment.
“As you might imagine, they’re very upset. That’s a lot of displacements. And it’s a lot of different teacher types, and it’s a wide variety of seniority. So it’s wide-ranging and sweeping,” said Maribeth Calabro, President of the Providence Teachers’ Union.
The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), which controls the school district, said the possible job losses are a result of expiring COVID-19 federal relief funding, enrollment going down, rising costs of doing business, and unpredictable funding.
“While prioritizing student well-being remains paramount, these challenges require school districts to chart a course towards financial stability and sustainability,” wrote department spokesperson Ashley Cullinane in an email to The Public’s Radio.
Cullinane went on to say these displacements are likely to not only impact Providence, but other schools in the state as well. Different districts have different dates for which they must notify teachers of displacements or layoffs. In Cranston, the second largest school district in the state after Providence, administrators have already sent out 46 layoff notices, which were due by March 1. A spokesperson for the district said it anticipates sending out 15 involuntary transfers in late spring, which is the same number it sent out last year.
The teacher displacement announcement comes after 112 Providence teachers have already quit during this school year, putting those numbers on track to be much higher than last year’s, according to Calabro. Last year 201 teachers quit, but that was during the entire year, from Sept. 1-Aug. 31, and she said most teachers quit after the year is over.
The State Department of Education also said in a letter to teachers that layoffs are “likely,” but that specific information on that would not be available until June 1.
