Community organizations call on the City of Providence to fully fund public schools,

... demand that decision-makers agree to dedicate available funds, and stop harming students, families, and educators.

Nya Isom-Agazie

Nya Isom-Agazie is an 11-grader at Providence Career and Technical Academy and a youth leader at ARISE and Providence Student Union. She spoke from the steps of Providence City Hall. I have edited her words for clarity.

“I'm here to talk about the inadequate funding for Providence Schools. It's ridiculous I even have to be here. It's sad and disappointing. My education matters and I shouldn't have to constantly fight and pull teeth just to get funding that all of the students deserve. All my peers deserve to have adequate funding. Every day that I walk into school, I'm shown that my education is seen as less than to the City and it doesn't feel good. No kid deserves to feel that way.

“I'm sick of the Brett Smiley Administration and the City trying to deflect the fact that they've been underfunding PPSD from the beginning. The Mayor would rather fund the police over the education of Black and brown youth, and that hurts. My education matters. My peers' education matters. Brett Smiley, if you really think that PPSD is misappropriating funds, then do the audit. That doesn't excuse the responsibility you have to fully fund our schools. Do not punish the kids.

“As someone who lives within the two-mile mark of my school, I'm ashamed to say that my school might take away my right to take public transit to get to school and I might have to walk. It's embarrassing that a kid should have to walk for two miles for their education. They wouldn't do that in North Providence. I used to go to North Providence. They wouldn't do that there. From the moment that I transferred to Providence in the eighth grade, I've been shown what it feels like to be a second-class citizen and it doesn't feel good.

“Many of my peers rely on track, and winter sports are being taken away because of inadequate funding, and that's a shame. As someone who also played track and cross country, it is a shame to say that some of the students might not have a chance to do their sport and go to college for their sport. Many kids rely on scholarships from their winter sports to go to college, and they'll have that taken away. That's not fair. I shouldn't have to worry about the things that everybody else gets. East Providence gets it. North Providence gets it. Everybody gets it but Providence? That's not okay.

“The adults in power are always taking away inclusive classrooms and defunding things that students need to learn. You're taking away teachers that we need. Students aren't learning. Many schools don't have the correct budgets. Many schools aren't able to properly help their students. As someone with a 504 plan, this affects me directly. I've seen many of my favorite teachers getting taken away. I never feel truly supported, nor do I feel fully seen. As Black and brown students look around at the teachers, they don't feel represented. It affects us mentally - from the way that we walk into school to the way that we act.

“When you go into our Providence Public Schools, you can see the discouragement on students' faces. You can see how it takes a mental toll on them. I don't think that any of you would treat your kids like this. None of you would want to see your kids like this, nor would you accept that. So why are we accepting it for us? Why is Brett Smiley letting his kids fail? That's not okay.

“I am a kid. I'm 16. I'm up here and out of school. I am currently missing attendance. I don't have perfect attendance because of things like this. [Those in charge] would rather focus on these small things instead of the things that really matter. The youth matter. Quite frankly, taking away MLE Special Education 504s from IEP students' needs is taking away their rights to be students.

“If you really sit there and think about it, and wonder why we're not doing well, why we're not performing well, it's because we don't care. It's because we're not paying enough attention to the students. It starts with the students. It will end with the students. Students will be here before and after us. There will always be students. We need students, so why are we treating them less than?

“I think it's a shame that I even have to be up here. Many schools are getting shut down. Many public schools are getting shut down and we're being forced into crowded hallways and being treated like zoo animals. Yes, I said it, like zoo animals. From the moment you walk in, it feels like a cage that you want to get out of and that you're willing to escape by any means. School shouldn't feel like that. We shouldn't feel like we're in jail. We shouldn't feel like we're struggling every day to survive. We should feel like school is a second home. And it doesn't feel like that.

“The City loves to disregard the students and the youth, and enough is enough. I don't care who did what. We need our money. It's that simple. That's the bottom line. Nothing else should be said. It doesn't matter what happened. You have been underfunding us from the beginning. Give us our money.

“I don't get it. There should be nothing else said but give us our money. And for everybody who works at City Hall, I just want to ask you one thing... Would you let this happen to your kids? And if the answer is "yes," I feel bad for your kids, I feel really bad. My mom would not let that happen. She let me out of school for this. Sacrifices had to be made and I'm here, but I don't want to see any of my peers having to make that sacrifice. I don't want to see any of my younger cousins having to go through this.

“I'm going to end it by saying, "Brett Smiley, the City of Providence, and every adult in power - do better. I don't want to be back up here.”

Isom Agazie was speaking at an OurSchoolsPVD Alliance press conference on Monday morning in front of Providence City Hall, held to demand that government agencies responsible for the funding of Providence Public Schools work together to make adequate funds available to immediately close the budget gap for the operation of the public schools in the current school year.

The OurSchoolsPVD Alliance is “committed to fighting for Democracy, Dollars, and Dignity” in Providence Public Schools, and is made up of parents and students from PLEE (Parents Leading for Educational Equity), ARISE (The Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education), PrYSM (Providence Youth Student Movement), Providence Student Union (PSU), Young Voices, Youth in Action, the Rhode Island Center for Justice, and the Center for Youth and Community Leadership in Education (CYCLE).

Here’s the video:

The OurSchoolsPVD Alliance released the following statement:

“For decades, the City of Providence has systematically underfunded Providence Public Schools, consistently placing the needs of Black and Brown students, their families, and educators on the back burner. Since the pandemic, special education costs, particularly in pre-K special education, have surged, with many young students now being evaluated for services due to missed early intervention. Without sufficient funding, these urgent needs remain unmet, putting the future of these students at significant risk.

“The Providence Public School District (PPSD)’s financial crisis didn’t happen by chance. It is the direct result of decisions by past and current mayors, city councils, and school boards who chose to invest in other priorities while leaving Providence’s children at the bottom of the list. Since Fiscal Year 2020, other City departments have seen a 23% increase in funding – an additional $88 million – while PPSD’s funding has grown by only 4%, or about $5.5 million. This disparity highlights that the issue isn’t a lack of resources; it’s a choice to deprioritize Black and Brown students and slowly divest from the public institution that most directly serves them.

“The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), operating the Providence Public Schools under state takeover authority, and the City of Providence are locked in a litigation battle over school funding while the students and families of Providence are paying the price for this conflict on a daily basis. Additional cuts to critical services that our children need and deserve in their schools are NOT ACCEPTABLE. While the litigation drags on, funding opportunities are being lost and jeopardized. While we appreciate the City Council’s efforts to secure an additional $2.5 million in one-time federal funding, we must be clear: this amount falls far short of what is needed to prevent the devastating cuts our District faces. The actual need is $10.9 million, and our Black and Brown students deserve every single dollar and more. This critical funding gap must be addressed to ensure that Providence’s students receive the resources and support they need for a fair and equitable education. The community will keep pressure on all decision-makers to fund the schools fully.

“However, the $2.5 million is available TODAY to partially close the budget gap in the Providence Public Schools. Those funds must be immediately committed to Providence Schools’ expenses. If the decision makers can’t put aside their conflicts and work together for practical interim solutions, it will be too late for our students to use them. The antagonists in the school funding litigation must agree to allocate these available funds for Providence Public Schools students immediately. They can insist, and agree in writing, that the commitment of the $2.5M for the immediate needs of Providence students does NOT undermine any arguments they each have in court. However, the standoff in court must not result in these funds being lost to Providence students and their families and educators. 

“Our most vulnerable students are being harmed while adults point the finger at each other. Just last year, the budget deficit and mismanagement of funds led to the cuts to many beloved teachers’ positions and unwarranted non-renewals for educators, which also negatively impacted students.

“Students and families know what public officials have lost sight of - the students of Providence deserve fully funded schools, AND transparency, auditing, and accountability must be provided.  BOTH OF THESE THINGS CAN BE AND ARE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME. These multiple truths should not and must not overshadow the root cause of why we are here, and that is the decades upon decades of underfunding of our Providence Public Schools.”

Here are more statements from student and parent leaders:

“I made the decision to leave the PPSD and attend the Rhode Island Nursing Institute (RINI) to pursue a better educational experience and open up more opportunities for my future,” said Zarjah Jalloh, former Providence Public School student, Current RINI Student, and ARISE Youth Leader. “My time in the PPSD was filled with disappointments. In elementary school, I encountered limited educational resources, and that trend continued through middle school. In fact, I was denied transportation services simply because I lived a mile away from my school, forcing me to walk that distance daily. This not only caused me to arrive late but also accumulated tardies that affected my academic performance.”

“This issue is important to me because, being a student who is involved in winter and spring sports, it would be a great tragedy that something that keeps me entertained, something that will get me into college, will be canceled simply because PPSD can’t get the proper funding to elevate schools,” said Simisola Dauda, Junior, Classical High School, and a member of Young Voices. “As a student who is also a part of many after-school programs that feel like my second home and my second family, I know it would be terrible to lose those places. I’ve evolved so much because of the after-school program, debate club, that I am a part of. My debate partner and I are in the top 15 in the State, so to see all of our work and efforts thrown in the drain simply because of these drastic budget cuts is not only discouraging but depressing too.”

“As students, we depend on these programs, sports, reliable transportation, and the resources to back us in schools,” said Mariah Ajiboye, Senior, Classical High School, and Young Voices Board Co-Chair.” Losing that funding takes away the opportunities we need for growth outside of and in school. We deserve schools that will provide the opportunities we need to succeed, as well as schools that can get us to the building to get to that stage of success. It’s important to me because without that funding in the past, I would have never thought to try.”

“As a mother of a MLL- multiracial child in special education, I carry the weight of his challenges every day as his needs and challenges are amplified,” said PLEE and PPSD parent Naiommy Baret, whose child attends Pleasant View Elementary. “I am his advocate, and I know just how vital it is for him to have dedicated educators who truly understand and support his needs. Right now, we’re facing a serious crisis: there simply aren’t enough trained teachers to support early learners like him. Securing and maintaining his placement has been an uphill battle, and it’s heartbreaking to see so many classrooms led by substitute teachers rather than consistent, qualified staff. The proposed funding cuts are incredibly alarming because they risk eliminating essential support like teacher assistants and other critical resources for all students who rely on them. Without these crucial supports, I am deeply concerned for my son’s future and for the future of all children, wondering if he will receive the opportunities he deserves to truly thrive.”