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Students and community urge Providence leaders not to cut sports, counselors or bus passes
Summary
Dozens of students, parents, teachers and community groups urged the board to resist cuts to athletics, counselors and RIPTA bus eligibility, arguing those services support attendance, safety and college opportunities; speakers called on the city to meet its obligations under the Crowley Act and on the board to demand transparency.
A steady stream of students, parents, teachers and organizers used the School Board’s public-comment period to plead with elected leaders not to balance the district budget on the backs of students.
Teenagers and youth organizers described sports, after-school programs and reliable transit as essential to attendance, mental health and future opportunities. "Without these sports, we are going to lose so much drive from the students," said Theo Avila, a Casco High School student and Rise youth organizer, urging the board to protect athletics and bus passes.
Several speakers framed the crisis as the result of long-term underinvestment in Providence schools and pointed to the Crowley Act and recent Department of Revenue communications as evidence the city has not kept pace. Community organizers from ARISE, PLEA (Parents Leading for Educational Equity), Providence Student Union and Young Voices called for city accountability, an audit of district finances if needed, and an explicit commitment to maintain counseling, translation/interpretation, and special-education services.
Teachers and staff emphasized the practical consequences of the proposed cuts: increased teacher turnover, reduced mental-health supports, larger class sizes and less stability for students with IEPs. One teacher said elimination of reimbursement programs for ELL certification would undercut progress on multilingual-learner goals and the district’s obligations under a Department of Justice settlement agreement.
Several commenters urged immediate political action—advocacy to the mayor and city council and voter engagement in the upcoming school committee election—rather than accepting program reductions.
Board members acknowledged the emotional and practical appeals and reiterated their desire for more transparency and collaboration with the city and state. There was no final board vote on student-facing cuts at the meeting; board members said they would continue to seek additional information and further talks with municipal leaders.
Ending: The public-comment record closed after dozens of speakers. Community groups said they will continue advocacy, including a forum for school-board candidates scheduled before the election, and urged parents and voters to press city leaders to increase school funding rather than accept cuts.
