The Providence Public School District (PPSD) finished sending out its annual batch of “displacement” notices earlier this week, letting teachers know they would need to find and apply for alternate positions in the city’s 37 schools.
The number of teachers being shuffled around is nearly half as many as it was last year: There were 209 Providence Teachers Union (PTU) positions displaced this year, compared to 384 last year.
“To be clear, being displaced is not the same as being laid off or non-renewed,” Herman James, the district’s chief talent officer wrote, in a March 24 letter updating the Providence School Board on this year’s displacements. In his letter, James gave the hypothetical example of a school that’s slimming its social studies department, meaning a qualified teacher will have to find a relevant job elsewhere in another of the district’s schools.
The three highest categories of teachers displaced this year were those working in high school English language arts (31 displacements) and special education (24 displacements), followed by 23 displacements issued for elementary school teachers. There were 16 displacements for both physical education instructors and early childhood teachers, and nine for English as Second Language teachers.
Jay G. Wégimont, a spokesperson for PPSD, said via email the displacement process happens annually each spring and is shaped by the teachers’ union contract.
“It’s worth noting that this happens in large urban districts across the country and this annual staffing process occurs in districts across Rhode Island due to shifts in student enrollment, programmatic changes, budgetary considerations, and licensure compliance requirements,” Wégimont wrote.
The Providence Teachers Union did not respond to requests for comment, but has expressed concern in the past to media outlets that displaced teachers aren’t always able to find equivalent positions and can potentially face layoffs.
There are more available positions in the district than there are displacements, according to James’ letter. As of Wednesday, there are 260 open positions for PTU roles, according to James.
There were also 95 teacher assistants displaced this year. They’ll be able to vie for 104 open positions starting April 7, according to James’ letter. Last year, 206 teacher assistants received displacement notices.
Last year’s considerable number of teacher displacements derived partly from school mergers and closures which saw educators shuffled around from schools like 360 High School and Gilbert Stuart Middle School, both of which closed last spring.
In 2024, enrollment in the state-controlled public school district rose 2% — the first increase since the 2018 school year, according to data from the state education department.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
