Providence youth react to Mayor Smiley's Community Conversation on Education

“When the City talks about engaging the community, they’re talking about the adults. The youth should be a part of conversations that impact us."

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley

From an OurSchoolsPVD press release:

On Saturday, December 14, youth and community members from OurSchoolsPVD attended Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s Community Conversation on Education to elevate their priorities as the City prepares for a return to local control.

OurSchoolsPVD¹ was formed in 2019 after the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) took over the Providence Public School District (PPSD). It is fighting for a vision where the 3Ds—Democracy, Dollars, and Dignity—shape the future of Providence schools. [See: Students envision a "youth-led future" for Providence Public Schools]

Providence students said the following after the Mayor’s Community Conversation:

“This event was held in my school, and I was one of only four students there,” said Jaylenn Rivera, a 10th grader at the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex and a youth leader at Providence Student Union. “When the City talks about engaging the community, they’re talking about the adults. The youth should be a part of conversations that impact us. The City needs to do a better job reaching out to youth.”

“Our schools need to provide more information about the State takeover and who is making decisions about our lives,” said Timmy Soeung, an 11th grader at E-Cubed Academy and a youth leader at ARISE. “As students, we don’t know what’s happening in the background of our school system. As we are learning in school, we don’t get support to ask why we are experiencing different issues.”

“While I am glad I went to this event, I am disappointed at the lack of youth voices,” said Nya Isom-Agazie, an 11th grader at Providence Career and Technical Academy and a youth leader at ARISE and Providence Student Union. “Being one of four students in the space told me how much student voices are valued. This is our community, too, and we deserve a seat at the table. Students should have a say in what we learn. We need more courses like Ethnic Studies. We shouldn’t be taking away courses, and we should be adding courses. We as a community need to stop limiting the schools with less and less funding. Funding shouldn’t be a negotiation.”

“It was affirming to see that many people in attendance held the same feelings we did concerning the situation in our schools, but engagement with the Mayor and his office was limited at best,” said Julianna Bridgette Espinal, an 11th grader at Classical High School and a youth leader with Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM). “Although it’s thoughtful of them to facilitate these types of conversations with community members, I would have liked to speak directly with the Mayor and have him join the different group discussions. I would have also liked to see groups join together for a larger discussion connecting our issues. Ultimately, there is still more progress that needs to be made.”

On Tuesday, December 14, OurSchoolsPVD brought together 100+ participants for a youth-led community conversation on the future of PPSD. Participants elevated issues including transportation to school, school building infrastructure, school climate, Ethnic Studies, the importance of more teachers of color, the impact of school closures on the community, students’ rights in schools, school discipline policy, and more.

Youth leaders hope to see the experiences that students shared at their event and the Mayor’s Community Conversation on Education forefronted in the City’s Return to Local Control Plan.

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Here’s the video of Mayor Smiley’s opening words, and brief introductions from each of the five recently elected members of the Providence School Board.

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1. About OurSchoolsPVD: OurSchoolsPVD is a community alliance of Providence youth-led organizations and allies, including the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE), Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM), Youth In Action (YIA), Young Voices (YV), RI Center for Justice (CFJ), Providence Student Union (PSU), and the Center for Youth & Community Leadership in Education (CYCLE), working towards education justice in PPSD. OurSchoolsPVD came together in 2019 to ensure that State control of the Providence Public School District (PPSD) results in an educationally just and equitable system that adequately serves and centers the voices and leadership of all students and families. Grounded in our collective work, which for decades has pushed for asset-based, youth and community-driven visions for our public schools and communities, OurSchoolsPVD is excited to bring together an intergenerational alliance of grassroots organizations and allies to build the power we need to create the school system Providence youth and families deserve.