More Providence teachers are being displaced this year. Here's why.
The number of Providence public school faculty members being displaced has grown by more than 60% from the last school year to the current school year.
According to the district, 233 faculty members received displacement notices in 2023, meaning they were pushed out of the school they worked in and had to find new jobs elsewhere. However, no layoffs occurred.
But this year, 367 faculty – mostly teachers – have received such notices, the growing number fueled in part by school closures. Others being displaced are school counselors, nurses, psychologists and social workers.
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The Providence Journal asked the district for a list of schools from which teachers are being displaced. The district declined The Journal's request.
"The district couldn’t tell you what schools because virtually every school had displacements," said Providence Teachers Union President Maribeth Calabro.
Calabro pointed to the pending closure of 360 High School – which resulted in numerous displacements – and the planned closure of Gilbert Stuart Middle School. It had been scheduled to graduate its last class in 2025, but will instead close this year.
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District spokesman Jay Wegimont said five "redesign" schools – or buildings that have been slated for renovation and new programming – also resulted in displacements. That list includes Del Sesto Middle School, Hope High School, the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex, Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School and Mount Pleasant High School, which is set to see at least a partial demolition and rebuild.
ESL positions are seeing the most displacements. Why?
Roughly one-third of the teachers displaced are English as a Second Language instructors who serve the city's significant population of multilingual learners.
The ESL instructors being displaced cover a variety of areas, from early childhood education to science, math, English and special education.
Wegimont said a lack of certifications had prompted some of the displacements.
"Regarding ESL displacement, many positions require an ESL certification, so one reason for displacement is for teachers who are emergency certified and haven’t done what they need to do in terms of advancing their certifications," he said. "It’s important to note that in an effort to help fill ESL roles, the District has offered 558 educators up to $8,000 in reimbursement to help them attain their ESL certification."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence teachers, many of them ESL, get displacement notice
