CENTRAL FALLS, R.I.—The head of the American Federation of Teachers on Tuesday defended teachers at a persistently troubled Rhode Island high school where the entire staff was fired during the last school year but also asked the state's incoming governor to intervene.
Randi Weingarten said at a news conference with local union officials that teachers are committed to making the school better but need help and support from the administration. Weingarten toured the school and met with teachers and called for a "mid-course correction" and for Gov.-elect Lincoln Chafee to convene a team, including the state education commissioner and school superintendent, to work on ways to improve the school.
"We want to make sure this school is a shining light -- a beacon for hope not only in this community but throughout the country," Weingarten said. "Pull together a group of us so that we can see what is and what isn't working and put the school on track to work for kids."
She defended the teachers against reports that many are absent on any given school day, saying the absenteeism rate being reported to the public is unfair because it includes vacancies and teachers who are out on long-term school leave.
The school made national attention last year when the district's Board of Trustees approved the firing of the entire teaching staff under a federal model used for failing schools. Just 7 percent of 11th graders tested in October 2009 were proficient in math. The firings caught the attention of federal education officials and President Barack Obama, who called the move an example of holding teachers accountable for poor student performance.
The teachers were rehired months later after agreeing to work a longer school day and make other reforms. But the school year is off to a rocky start amid reports of student disciplinary problems and an absenteeism rate among teachers that administrators consider troubling. As many as 15 percent of teachers were absent on any given day during the fall, The Providence Journal has reported. Teachers' union president Jane Sessums would not give her own number Tuesday, but Weingarten said unfilled positions and teachers out on long-term leave should not be counted as absences.
Students staged a walkout last week, and administrators say they've refrained from giving grades to hundreds of students because teacher attendance has been so spotty that there's no real way to gauge their performance.
"What they've said to me is that the climate in terms of teaching and learning is actually worse this year than last year -- not for lack of trying," Weingarten said.
Weingarten said Chafee's team should include State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, the Central Falls superintendent and the president of the local teachers union.
Chafee spokesman Mike Trainor said Chafee was vacationing and the two had not yet spoken about Weingarten's comments. During his campaign, Chafee proposed mediation between the two sides and remains very concerned about the school, Trainor said.
