Hundreds Rally for RI Public School Choice

PROVIDENCE, RI – Supporters of Rhode Island public school choice made their voices heard at the Rhode Island State House on Wednesday, March 4 to protect HOPE: High-quality Options for Public Education and equitable funding.

“Our families and school communities want lawmakers to know that their schools are public, their kids matter, and they are not worth less than any other public school students. That’s why we are here,” said Stephen Nardelli, of the RI League of Charter Schools. “As our Fair Funding Formula is being reviewed and analyzed, we need to do all we can to ensure the thousands of students in RI public schools of choice are protected and treated fairly.”

The General Assembly passed the Fair Funding Formula in 2010 that ensured state aid to education would be fair, equitable, and predictable. One of the fundamental principles of the formula was that funding would follow students to whatever public school they chose to attend, including public charter, independent, technical and vocational schools. The rally is in favor of protecting the fairness of that formula.

“Rhode Island public schools of choice have offered hope to thousands of Ocean State families, often with innovative, unique models or extended and flexible learning time. Mayoral academies, specifically, are proud of the exceptional results our students have achieved over the last six years and of the diversity of the families we have welcomed into our school communities,” said Mike Magee, CEO of Rhode Island Mayoral Academies. “We cannot treat all students fairly without maintaining equitable funding for a system that has grown to be the 5th largest in Rhode Island and that is attractive to so many families.”

Lori Barden, parent of two students at the intentionally diverse Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy, agrees that schools of choice have attracted her to Rhode Island and have kept her in the state.

“The opportunity to have a choice to send my child to Blackstone Valley Prep is the biggest reason we have chosen to stay in this state. My husband doesn’t work anywhere near where we live anymore, but we have this opportunity to give our boys a world class and a worldly education,” she said. “To have people not realize that this education is such a gift—that is heartbreaking to me. It’s like giving someone the gift to travel the world and then trying to take away his passport. We must protect our children’s passports.”

Glendaliz Cortez, a current student at Sheila C. “Skip” Nowell Leadership Academy— a charter public high school that breaks down education barriers related to teenage pregnancy, parenting, and other family-related challenges—agrees that schools of choice are passports to more opportunity.

“The schedule at Nowell gives me more time to do what I need to graduate. They care about me. The school has been a very important part of my life, and I know it will help me make a better life for both myself and my child,” she says.

Glendaliz joined nine other speakers at the rally with emotional stories about the importance of protecting school choice. Those speakers included Dr. Fran Gallo, superintendent, Central Falls School District; Michael Skeldon, principal, Beacon Charter High School for the Arts and Vice President of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools board; Evalyss Laboy, student, Nowell Leadership Academy; Chastity Lord, chief external officer, Achievement First; Angel Gabriel & Teema Gerpue, students, Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts; Giovanni Disus, parent, Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy; Sam Foer, student, The MET; and Daniel McKee, Rhode Island Lt. Governor.

Closing the rally, Lt. Governor Dan McKee said, “As state leaders, we should be asking ourselves one question: What is good for Rhode Island? There’s no doubt: Increasing the number of public school options is good for Rhode Island. Now is not the time to be talking about holding back some of our highest-performing schools. We need to be bold and innovative, and talk about what all schools need to be successful.”

About Rhode Island Mayoral Academies

The mission of Rhode Island Mayoral Academies (RIMA) is to support the statewide growth of mayoral academies: high-performing, diverse, independent public schools governed by mayor-led school boards. RIMA works towards this mission by recruiting extraordinary school operators and leaders to open mayoral academies; supporting mayoral academies from the application stage through the first years of growth; and cultivating mayors across Rhode Island to become leaders in improving public education. Currently under the RIMA umbrella are the Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy(two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school) and Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy. Twitter: @RIMAcademies

About the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools

The Rhode Island League of Charter Schools, founded in 2001, exists to expand the role of charter public schools in Rhode Island’s public education system. The League is guided by the directors of the 18 member charter public schools and provides a forum for advocacy, sharing of best practices and collaboration. As public schools charged with pursuing innovation, charter public schools recognize their statutory responsibility to share best practices with other public schools, districts and educators in the state. For more information, visit: www.richarterschools.com.

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