All Providence teachers get boot

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The job is on the line for Providence's nearly 2,000 teachers after the school department issued termination notices to all of its teachers Tuesday.

With a projected deficit of nearly $40 million for the school department, Superintendent Tom Brady told teachers the budget situation was dire. The notices were handed out in accordance with a law which requires teachers to be notified about potential changes to their employment status by March 1.

Brady said the move gives the school board the ability to be flexible, but not all of the teachers who received notices will end up losing their jobs.

A recent report revealed Providence nearly depleted its rainy day fund and overspent its budget by more than $57 million.

In a news release, the mayor's office said the city needs to get back on solid financial footing.

"Spending reductions will be part of Mayor Angel Taveras’ effort to restore fiscal stability and put Providence back on firm financial footing. It is inevitable that some portion of these cuts will come from the school budget," a news release from the mayor's office read. "However, the full extent of cuts to the school budget has yet to be determined. The March 1 deadline requires that teachers be notified now about any potential changes to their status, despite the fact that budget planning for next year is still ongoing."

The mayor’s office said it is currently awaiting completion of a report by the newly created Municipal Finances Review Panel - which was asked to conduct an independent review of the city’s current fiscal situation.

The panel's findings will be presented to the mayor within the next two weeks.

The decision is not sitting well with Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith, who told The Providence Journal that the decision was "beyond insane."

"Now I know how the United States State Department felt on Dec. 7, 1941," Smith said, referring to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Teachers' Union issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying in part:

"This unprecedented action sacrifices the best interest of Providence students and teachers in the name of flexibility. This is a slap in the face to teachers who have supported the district in nationally recognized labor-management collaborations initiatives which have occurred in our city over the past two years, including Race to the Top which garnered 75 million dollars for the state."