Central Falls Kids Deserve Better

February 23, 2010

Contact:
Brad Dufault
401/487-9116
bdufault@checkmateconsultingllc.com

Central Falls High School Teachers and Supporters Rally to Protest Teacher Firings

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I.—Teachers, parents, students and community, political and union leaders protested the mass teacher firings at Central Falls High School at a rally today, saying there are other proven, more promising ways to improve student achievement than solely blaming the teachers.

“The teachers have been unfairly targeted, and we will fight to have them reinstated,” said Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers Union. “Instead of trying to fix the system with a successful model, the administration has decided to scapegoat the teachers. We want genuine reforms, not quick fixes that do nothing but create a wedge between teachers, our school and our community.”

Sessums continued, “Simply look at the records of reform. Teachers have agreed to numerous solutions and reforms, including working with the administration to develop a teacher evaluation system, schedule changes that benefit the students, ongoing common planning time throughout the year, and many research-based programs, including America’s Choice and the Skills Commission Task Development program. The administration’s only solution is to fire every teacher.”

The school board voted today to send termination notices to all 74 Central Falls High School teachers, despite some recent achievement improvements, including reading scores that have gone up 21 percent. Sessums agreed that the school's reform plan must be changed, but said the administration and the teachers union should work together to get the right resources into the school.

“The teachers at Central Falls care deeply about their students and their success, and we are adamant that they deserve better than what the administration has proposed,” said Hope Evanoff, a French teacher at the school.

Marcia Reback, president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, said the union has invited Central Falls and other districts to join them in a collaboration to develop a rigorous teacher evaluation and support system.

“Instead of firing teachers, the district needs to figure out how to help teachers become better by giving them the feedback, support and resources they need to be successful,” Reback said.

Fausto Barbosa, parent of a Central Falls High School student, stated “Our kids have developed a bond with their teachers. They have great relationships with them and they trust them. To separate them from their teachers now, just as test scores and student performance is improving, is unconscionable. The whole process has been devastating not just to our kids, but to the entire Central Falls community.”

For more information visit www.CentralFallsKidsDeserveBetter.com