Randi Weingarten vows to donate 2,000 books to Providence schools after speaking with a second-grade teacher who told her that her children had moved from reluctant readers to voracious ones.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, swooped through two Providence schools Thursday, hugging teachers, praising their work and chiding Mayor Jorge Elorza for not restarting contract negotiations with the union.
Weingarten, who is in town to participate in meetings of the Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws committee, said she was visiting schools to “lift up” the thoughtful work being done every day by Providence teachers.
She also threw her support behind Gov. Gina Raimondo’s $250-million bond proposal to repair the state’s aging schools.
“This is a state where the powers that be have not given enough to the kids,” she said, standing outside Mount Pleasant High School, where a sweeping black net keeps the bricks in place. “This netting is up to stop bricks from falling from the building. I also wanted to see the extraordinary work being done by our kids.”
Weingarten, who represents 1.7 million teachers nationwide, rallied teachers in March 2011 after they were all pink-slipped by then-Mayor Angel Taveras. She said she had been briefed on the latest contract impasse by leaders of the Providence Teachers’ Union.
“This is Providence, Rhode Island, not Oklahoma City or Phoenix, Arizona,” she said. “And the fact that a mayor of this city is not sitting down trying to solve these problems and acting more like what we see in states that haven’t really cared about their kids, is shocking to me.”
Providence Teachers’ Union President Maribeth Calabro said that when she sat down with Elorza three weeks ago, he promised to get back to the bargaining table, but nothing has happened.
Weingarten said the mayor should have joined School Superintendent Christopher N. Maher, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner and leaders of the teachers’ union on her tour of Mount Pleasant and Pleasant View Elementary School.
“He should have walked around with us and looked at the great work that’s being done by our kids and our teachers,” she said.
Weingarten also promised to donate 2,000 books to the Providence schools after speaking with a second-grade teacher who told her that her children had moved from reluctant readers to voracious ones. She said she will donate a gift certificate for 2,000 books that she received from First Books, a nonprofit that buys overstocked materials and gives them to schools and libraries.
Weingarten dove into her school tour, jumping into a giant inflatable bouncy house and riding the slide with a bunch of excited students at Pleasant View. In every classroom, she scrunched down to ask what students were learning and gave every teacher a hug.
“Your work is heroic,” she told second-grade teacher Claudia Jackvony.
“This is an amazing teacher,” she told a visitor. “How many adults can manage 20 to 30 people?”
When Jackvony heard that she was getting 2,000 books, she said, “This is better than being named Teacher of the Year!”
Maher said that Providence teachers are allowed to choose whatever model of blended learning works best for them. Blended learning uses technology to individualize instruction. Maher said he tries to empower teachers so they can innovate. Weingarten agreed, and said it was important to treat teachers like skilled professionals, not children.
(401) 277-7823
On Twitter: @lborgprojocom