In a scheduling move that has even the most cynical Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) observer shaking their head, the Agenda for the influential Council on Elementary & Secondary Education was posted on 5:20 this evening (Friday) to include a review of the controversial application to transition Woonsocket based RISE Mayoral Academy to Charter School status.
The Hearing will be held on December 17, 2024 … yes, just days before the Christmas Holiday … immediately following a single hearing, and what appears to many, a truncated comment period. Additionally, the Hearing will begin at 5:30PM … in Providence … a move that creates a logistical nightmare for Woonsocket parents attempting to participate in person.
A formal vote on the matter is scheduled to occur on January 6, 2025.
There appears to be a discrepancy between the formal agenda filed, which calls for a December 17th meeting, vs the documentation included (see below), which cites a December 19th meeting. The Coalition Radio Network will confirm the dates. The Coalition Radio Network will live stream the event.
Especially alarming? RIDE Commissioner Angelica Infante-Greene’s apparent blanket endorsement, over the objections of virtually the entirety of Woonsocket City Government. The Woonsocket Department of Education, the Woonsocket City Council, and the Woonsocket Legislative Delegation appear to be in lock step in their opposition. State Representative Jon Brien, and Senator Elect Brian Thompson have vowed to bring the matter to the floor of the Rhode Island Legislature.
Woonsocket Mayor Chris Beauchamp, standing alone, is in full support of the measure, apparently immune to the financially devastating consequences.
Recently departed City Council Chair John Ward, considered amongst Rhode Island’s foremost municipal finance experts, and himself a former Woonsocket School Committee Member, recently issued his objection to the Rhode Island Department of Education. Many city residents believe that the failure of Mayor Beauchamp, who serves as the current Board Chair of RISE Mayoral Academy, to properly disclose the process and hearing of the application, shielded him from public criticism, perhaps giving him his narrow margin of victory.
This failure to disclose came close on the heels of his decision to withhold news of the loss of City bond coverage from the City Council, and the voting public, until a report by Providence Business News forced his hand.
Editor’s Note: Government documents are often distributed in a PDF format. In order to read the entire document, please use the up/down arrows in the upper left hand corner of the document to scroll through pages. Please excuse our website, as it is under renovation over the Year End Holidays! Thank You!
2024 12 04 Mayoral Academy conversion objection letter
The Report Submitted
Encl5e_RISEMajorAmendment
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