United, Mayor Smiley, the City Council, and the School Board present their plan to take back Providence Schools
Today, we stand in unison... to highlight our proactive, thoughtful, and community-driven plans to successfully manage our schools and give Providence students the world-class education they deserve.
“We have worked diligently for two years listening to the voices of our teachers, students, families, and community members, and their message has been clear: it is time for the Providence Public School District (PPSD) to transition to local management,” said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley on Thursday, announcing his plan to take back control of Providence Schools. PPSD has been under state control since 2019 despite no strong evidence that state takeovers of municipal school systems yield positive test scores or graduation rates results.1
The relationship between the state and the city has been rocky. The state successfully sued the city, demanding Providence increase its financial contribution to PPSD by the same percentage as the total increase in state aid, forcing the city to raise taxes.
The Governor plans to return PPSD to local control sometime in 2026. The city is pursuing legislation in the General Assembly this session and presented this plan today to take control this summer.
In February, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee and Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green held a press conference outlining a “path to local control,” essentially a list of conditions the city must meet before the Governor relinquishes control. At no point in creating this list of demands did the Governor or the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) contact the Smiley Administration, the City Council, or the School Committee for input. City Council President Rachel Miller was given no advance notice about the Governor’s plan - she read about it in the press.
Despite the rocky relationship, the Providence Plan seems to satisfy most of the conditions in the state’s path to local control. The plan appears to meet the Governor’s ninth demand—that the Smiley Administration partner with the City Council, RIDE, and PPSD and engage the community’s voices in creating a transition plan.
Here’s the press conference video:
“The report we are releasing today underscores that the city is ready for that transition,” said Mayor Smiley. “Outlined in these pages is our path forward, ensuring a smooth and integrated approach with strong leadership and a commitment to improving educational outcomes for every student in Providence. Today, we stand in unison with our partners in the City Council and the Providence School Board to highlight our proactive, thoughtful, and community-driven plans to successfully manage our schools and give Providence students the world-class education they deserve.”
…nearly 90% of community members want schools returned to local control. Additionally, more than 55% believe schools have moved in the wrong direction under state intervention…
In the Fall of 2023, the City established the Return to Local Control Cabinet, an intergovernmental working group of School Board members and senior staff from both the City Council and Mayor’s office to review internal processes, operations, and supports that the city is positioned to improve to prepare for the return of PPSD to local control. The Cabinet developed a work plan that focused on addressing inefficient and burdensome city systems, supporting the implementation of the Turnaround Action Plan, and engaging with the community to develop responsive solutions that improve student-based outcomes.
In preparation for local management of the District, the city engaged over 1,200 community members through a comprehensive survey and a series of in-person Community Conversations on Education. This feedback, detailed in the Community Engagement on Education Report released in February 2025, helped guide the city’s priorities for the transition. Key findings revealed that nearly 90% of community members want schools returned to local control. Additionally, more than 55% believe schools have moved in the wrong direction under state intervention. Concerns were also raised about PPSD’s management and budgeting priorities. The community’s feedback was instrumental in guiding the topics of the technical review, which are now in the plan. This engagement ensures that the city’s goals align with the priorities of Providence’s families, students, and educators.
The plan includes priority actions related to PPSD’s systems, operations, and governance. These priorities respond to long-standing structural issues and concerns from the 2019 John Hopkins review of the district that sparked the state takeover and the 2024 SchoolWorks report. The city’s actions will prepare for the district’s return to local governance, allowing educators and administrators to focus on delivering high-quality, personalized education for every student in Providence.
This plan prioritizes improving operational functions critical to student outcomes and student and teacher experience, such as purchasing, budgeting, facilities management, and data systems. This includes streamlining purchasing processes in partnership with PPSD’s Purchasing Department and supporting a coordinated approach to human resources and benefits with the Department of People and Culture, the city’s human resources department.
Providence’s Plan for Our Schools: Building a Brighter Future emphasizes four common themes:
Trusting Experts: The city will rely on education experts to lead on academic matters.
Supporting Systems: The city will bring the best of our expertise to support departments across PPSD.
Community: The city is committed to continue engaging with the community throughout this process.
Resources: The city will work with PPSD to understand what resources are needed and find those resources.
In addition, the plan outlines key priorities to deliver a quality education for all Providence children and youth:
Supporting Learning at PPSD: During the State intervention, the city will continue to support key programs, such as afterchool tutoring and homework help at Recreation Centers, to support progress on the Turnaround Action Plan. Once the district returns to local control, the city will work closely with PPSD leadership to ensure the continued implementation, focusing on improving student outcomes and increasing student achievement, particularly for middle school students, through the Pre-K through 8 model. In all of this work, the city will prioritize support for multilingual students, students receiving special education services, and students receiving behavioral health support and their families.
Funding and Finance and City of Providence Budget Support: The city remains committed to honoring the current PPSD funding settlement with RIDE, including a fiscal year 2027 commitment to increase the local contribution to PPSD in line with state aid increases. The city is also investing more than $1 billion in school facilities and continues to support afterschool and summer programs. Upon the District’s return to local management, the city will integrate PPSD into the city’s budget process, ensuring collaboration between the Mayor, School Board, City Council, and the District, and build upon ongoing efforts for school-based budgeting for principals and administrators.
Supporting Talent at PPSD: The city is committed to supporting educators and school-based leaders in delivering high-quality instruction. The city will support PPSD’s efforts to build and retain a professional educator workforce where the district leadership, school-based leaders, and community partners collaborate to improve student outcomes.
The transition plan outlines the city’s strategy for managing the school district. It emphasizes the continued implementation of priorities of the Turnaround Action Plan, empowering a student outcome-focused approach to governance of PPSD and streamlining systems and operations between the city and district as we together work to offer a high-quality and personalized public education to every student in Providence. This plan will guide the next phase of work, which includes developing a comprehensive transition plan in partnership with RIDE, PPSD, the School Board, and the City Council and ultimately establishing a timeline for transition.
On May 17, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the city will host another Community Conversation on Education at the Providence Career and Technical Academy. This time, the city will engage families and caregivers to actively participate in the process and build a stronger, more responsive school system for our students.
To register for the Community Conversation and see a full version of the plan, visit the city’s website at providenceri.gov/tap for English or Spanish.
[This was written with the help of the city’s press release]
State leaders at the time, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, and Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green, were surely aware of the work done by Domingo Morel, an associate professor of political science and public service at New York University’s Wagner School, who wrote the book on the subject and spoke against the planned takeover.
Providence Teachers Union Responds to City’s Transition Plan: "We Need More Than a Roadmap—We Need a Real Commitment"
The Providence Teachers Union (PTU) is responding to the City’s newly released transition plan for returning the Providence Public School District (PPSD) to local control. It raises serious concerns about the plan’s lack of clarity, collaboration, and commitment to core educational needs.
While the union welcomes the return to local governance as an opportunity to rebuild trust and reinvest in schools, it believes the plan released this week falls short in several key areas.
“The Providence Teachers Union welcomes the return of our schools to local control as a long-overdue opportunity to rebuild our district with the respect, trust, and collaboration our students and educators deserve,” said Cynthia Robles, President of the PTU. “But this moment demands more than symbolic change—it requires a real plan rooted in transparency, equity, and shared responsibility.”
The union expressed disappointment that the transition plan was created without authentic input from Providence educators, lacks specific implementation strategies, and does not provide a clear commitment to securing adequate funding for schools.
“Educators were not meaningfully included in developing this plan, and it shows,” Robles continued. “It’s vague where it needs to be specific and silent where it needs to speak boldly—especially when it comes to how we’ll fund the schools our students deserve.”
PTU emphasized that the success of this transition must rest on three essential priorities:
-Resources – Sustained and equitable funding for classrooms, support staff, and student services.
-Retention – Focused investment in keeping experienced educators and building a strong, diverse workforce.
-Restored Trust – Real collaboration with teachers, students, and families to shape the future of Providence schools.
“Now is the time to invest—not just in buildings and systems, but in people,” Robles added. “We’re not just reclaiming control—we’re reclaiming hope. The PTU stands ready to work with city and district leaders to ensure this transition delivers real change, not just rhetoric.”