Prov. supt. defends school closures

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Providence's outgoing school superintendent defended the decision Friday to close five several schools Friday.

The school board voted Thursday night to close five elementary schools amidst outrage from parents . Slated to be closed are:

• Asa Messer Elementary
• Messer Annex
• Windmill Elementary
• Flynn Elementary
• West Broadway Elementary

Board members also voted to change Bridgham Middle School into an elementary school.

Superintendent Tom Brady said several factors went into deciding which schools to close, including the condition of the buildings, the levels of academic achievement, and the number of neighborhood children attending each school. He added closing the schools could save an estimated $10 million dollars.

"[If the schools were kept open], we would have had to still find $10 million somewhere else in the budget to address a $30 million deficit," Superintendent Brady said.

Ricardo Calderon, whose son attends Asa Messer Elementary, says he's heartbroken.

"It's a community school, a family school. Everybody knows each other," he said Friday.