Providence School Board approves community-listening script, plans training and Spanish-language outreach

The Providence School Board voted to adopt a standardized script for district community listening sessions aimed at helping set student‑outcome goals and "guardrails" for superintendent authority. The script, developed with the Council of the Great City Schools and the board's leadership, was approved on a voice vote after a period of discussion.

Vice President Angel Newman said the script will allow board members to collect comparable, ethically gathered feedback and recommended pre-session implicit bias and data‑collection training. "We have to make sure that we do a really good job with this, and that community feels like we really met them where they're at," Newman said, urging a coordinated process so results can inform 1–5 SMART student outcome goals.

Several board members pushed for translation and representative scheduling. One board member cited the superintendent's estimate that roughly 60% of families speak Spanish at home and said sessions should be publicized and run in Spanish as well as English so Spanish‑language speakers can participate without relying solely on on‑site translators. The board directed staff to confirm translation capacity and to work with the council on scheduling logistics.

The board also agreed to set up a special planning meeting before the end of the month to finalize locations, pairings of two board members per session (a requirement of the facilitator guidance), marketing, childcare, refreshments and budgets. The motion to approve the script was made by Doctor Williamson and seconded by Vice President Newman; President Tyrell Stevens called for the aye vote and declared the motion passed.

Next steps include identifying training dates with the Council of the Great City Schools and finalizing listening-session dates and outreach plans; the board said it will coordinate with the superintendent's team on logistics and return to the membership with firm dates.