Pawtucket committee presses for clearer communication after Slater Middle School placed in state redesign process

Pawtucket School Committee members on Feb. 20 pressed district staff for clearer written notice and more time after learning Slater Middle School was identified for the state’s comprehensive school redesign process.

The session focused on a series of RIDE memos and a district timeline that committee members said had not been consistently or evenly shared. Committee members asked the district to provide written confirmation of when officials were notified that Slater would move into redesign, noting references in materials to dates including Jan. 19, 2024, Aug. 14, 2024, and Dec. 9, 2024.

Why it matters: Schools designated for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) can be required to select from state-approved redesign models; committee members said late or informal briefings limit the governing body’s ability to weigh targeted investments during budget season.

Committee members and staff debated whether the school committee may have a formal role on the Slater Community Advisory Board (CAB). District materials and a RIDE clarifying memo say the committee “may” have a representative; members urged that at least one school committee representative attend CAB meetings as an observer and that minutes and membership lists be circulated promptly.

District staff described the CAB roster as including two Slater parents, two students, school leaders, teachers, community partners (including Joe Fleming and Sharima Bolston), library staff and a representative from the police/community safety team, and said Dr. Kevin Martin (a Pawtucket resident) and other community members were invited. A district presenter said training and further CAB work were planned and that the district had sent minutes and membership information to the clerk and chair, though some members said they had not received those emails.

Members asked what investments the district plans to propose to address low performance across middle schools. District staff said the appropriate supports will follow a root-cause analysis of assessment results and could include professional development, new positions such as reading or math specialists, or changes in core instruction; staff cautioned that when core instruction ("tier one") is weak, professional development may be the first priority rather than adding personnel.

Several members asked that all official correspondence about CSI and CAB activity be sent by email (not only updated in a shared Google document), that the clerk be CC’d on RIDE letters and CAB minutes, and that at least three CAB meetings take place (members suggested three to four) before any final notification is made to the committee about a chosen redesign model. The district said an extension had been requested and that CAB meetings were scheduled, including a Feb. 25 Zoom meeting.

RIDE engagement: committee materials referenced communications from the Rhode Island Department of Education, including a Deputy Commissioner’s invitation to visit a transformed school and memos urging attention to multilingual learners and students with special needs. District staff said RIDE had suggested supports and that training for principals and CAB participants was forthcoming.

The committee voted to move into executive session later in the meeting to discuss possible litigation and student privacy matters. When the meeting reopened, members reported executive-session actions including sealing minutes and adjourning the closed session.

What’s next: Committee members asked the chair and district to circulate all CAB minutes and the RIDE memos in writing, to ensure the clerk distributes materials by email, and to allow committee representatives to attend CAB meetings as observers before a final decision on a redesign model is made.