I hope you enjoy Mother’s Day. Today’s letter provides an overview of the final report of the Senate commission studying Providence Public Schools.
1. Origin of the Commission
a. Steve Smith and Susan Lusi’s Prior Work
In December, 2022, Susan Lusi and Steve Smith published an opinion piece describing their project (as Providence Superintendent and Providence Teachers Union President) to build a partnership of shared accountability between labor and management. They believed that teachers would find greater professional fulfillment by having a greater voice in the design of the education they presented in class, and that their enhanced input would improve the quality of education children received. Through this partnership, the union would gain a larger role supporting teachers to develop their skills, while also high professional standards, in the same way that the medical and legal professions support practitioners and hold them accountable. Unfortunately, they were unable to complete their project due to Steve’s illness and a change in leadership in the School Department.
b. Formation of the Senate Commission
I considered their insights to be worth consideration by the Senate, as the State assumed control of Providence Public Schools in 2019. Last June, the Senate established a study commission to investigate labor-management relations, site-based management (in which decisions regarding budgeting and personnel are made at the school level) and professional standards.
2. The Commission’s Organization and Process
The Commission began meeting in September with fifteen members representing stakeholders from among educators, parents and local and State education and elected officials. The Commission held three listening sessions for public comment, and three meetings to hear from education experts who were proposed by Commission members in an open process. Every expert whom Commissioners proposed came and made thoughtful and informative presentations about their experience and national best practices. The Commission held nine additional meetings to discuss their findings and review a report that went through three drafts. The Commission approved a final draft report (subject to technical edits) on Monday, May 6.
3. The Report’s Findings and Conclusions
The Report describes the history of shared accountability in teacher union leadership dating back to Albert Shanker and Randi Weingarten. It describes best practices of school districts that have adopted these principles, including districts in Baltimore, and Springfield Massachusetts that faced a possible State takeover and Lawrence, Massachusetts where a State takeover occurred. In these districts, labor and management agreed to reforms to achieve shared accountability and site-based management to the benefit both of teachers (who ratified new contracts by wide margins) and students (who enjoyed better outcomes).
The Report highlights the example of the Springfield Empowerment Zone, which produced better student outcomes through shared accountability embodied in a teachers contract that was ratified by 96% of union membership. The Report’s recommendations include collaborative negotiations, building capacity, administrative accountability and removing legislative barriers. Susan Lusi’s May 1 Boston Globe opinion piece summarizes many of the key findings in the Commission’s final report.
4. Next Steps
a. Three Key Developments to Follow
The Report notes three possible key developments over the next six months. First, the Commission recommends General Assembly approval of a ballot question to establish a judicially enforceable Constitutional right to education. Second, the Providence Teachers Union contract will expire this fall, and the Commission recommends the adoption of Springfield-type reforms in the next contract. Third, the current five-year term of the State takeover will conclude this fall and will be before the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education for possible renewal. The Report urges the parties to support and advance shared accountability through the new contract and administrative policies, thereby building a foundation for better student outcomes and a faster, succssful return to local control.
b. Future Work
If voters are not given the opportunity to approve a Constitutional amendment, the Report recommends the passage next year of legislation based on Massachusetts law and policy, measures that Sue Lusi and Steve Smith recommended in their essay, and which will bring greater shared accountability to Providence. I also plan to work with the Mayor, City Council and School Board (who submitted a Letter supporting the Commission’s work) to inform the public more about the potential benefits of the Commission’s recommendations.