Providence, RI, School Board: No More Teachers — They're Fired

With the school district in Providence, R.I., facing a deficit of nearly $40 million, the school board plans to take the unprecedented step of dismissing every one of its 1,926 teachers.

Superintendent Tom Brady

Superintendent Tom Brady sent a letter on Tuesday to all teachers announcing that the school board will vote on Thursday on a resolution to dismiss every teacher, effective on the last day of school, the Providence Journal reports.

Dismissing the teachers would give the board “maximum flexibility” in considering how to cut costs, including reductions in staff, Brady said.
“This action gives the school board the right to dismiss teachers as necessary, but not all teachers will actually be dismissed,” he said.

Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith decried the plan as “beyond insane.”