Central Falls High School in Rhode Island is one of the nation’s many “underperforming schools.”
Only 7% of its 11th graders are proficient in math. Half the kids drop out.
There are only 13 students for every teacher.
Taxpayers spend $15,000 a year per student for this crappy performance — or nearly $2,000 above the state average.
Central Falls High is in the worse 5% of all schools in Rhode Island and it must improve or close under federal law.
The state gave the school 4 choices: Dismantle, bring in new management, make some changes or fire everyone and start over again.
Rather than work with the school to fix things, the teachers union stonewalled.
This left the school board one choice: Fire everyone and start all over again.
The teachers union held a rally to demand that the jobs of the teachers be protected. Teachers were trucked in by the busload from throughout the state to pressure the school board to surrender.
“Just an hour after the rally, the Central Falls school Board of Trustees, in a brief but intense meeting, voted 5-2 to fire every teacher at the school. In all, 93 names were read aloud in the high school auditorium — 74 classroom teachers, plus reading specialists, guidance counselors, physical education teachers, the school psychologist, the principal and three assistant principals,” the Providence Journal reported.
The response from Washington was refreshing.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said: “This is hard work and these are tough decisions, but students only have one chance for an education, and when schools continue to struggle we have a collective obligation to take action.”
Under law, every one of the lowest 5% of a state's schools must face this choice. Central Falls, RI picked option number four, because they didn't think the Obama administration, the State of Rhode Island, or the school board would do this.
They did. Good for them. Frankly, if you refuse every other option on something like that? Boom. Gone.
They were idiots that thought the union would protect them or that firing that many people would cause a huge public outcry therefore it wouldn't happen. Good riddance.
ReplyDelete