The Providence School Board is looking for candidates to fill the seat now held by board member Melissa Hughes, whose term expires at the end of the year.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s office announced last week that the city is now accepting applications, which can be filled out online through Friday, Dec. 12, at 4:30 p.m.
“We are looking for School Board members who represent our city’s vibrant neighborhoods and who will serve as strong advocates for our students, families and educators,” Smiley said in a statement.
When the school board was reshaped into a half-elected, half-appointed body during the 2024 elections, both new and old members were set to serve staggered terms. The new board structure assigns two board members (one elected, one appointed) for each school board region, which each comprise three wards in the city. Hughes shares Region 1 with elected board member Corey Jones. The region covers Wards 1, 2 and 3 in Providence.
Hughes has served on the board since January 2024, and was reappointed by Smiley earlier this year for a one-year term that will end Jan. 1, 2026.
The candidate selected to fill her seat will be appointed to a full three-year term which expires in 2029.
Hughes said in a statement last week that she will not seek reelection, arriving at the decision “after careful consideration and discussion with my family.”
“As a parent of two now high school students in Providence Public Schools since kindergarten, I know firsthand that we are in a critical moment for PPSD [Providence Public School District], one that requires an unwavering focus on doing what is right for students to sustain and build upon the momentum of the last few years,” Hughes wrote.
Hughes serves on the board’s Finance Committee, and was previously the board’s secretary as well as chair of its Policy Committee. She previously served on PPSD’s Parent Advisory Council and the parent-teacher organizations at Classical High School, Nathan Bishop Middle School, and Vartan Gregorian Elementary School — all schools her children have attended.
Hughes bundled a warning into her parting words, noting the school board’s pivotal role in the Providence school district, which has been under state control since 2019. The school board continues to advocate for a quicker return to local control of the schools, which is currently set to end at latest in 2027.
“(A)s conversations continue around transition back to local governance, I have serious concerns that the focus remains on adult power and control rather than centering students first,” Hughes wrote. “Six years later, there is still no clear collaborative plan amongst local officials for how they will work together for the good of all PPSD students, even though overlapping, conflicting decision making within Providence was a core issue motivating the state intervention in 2019.”
Hughes characterized the “systemic design flaw” of the district as “conflict amongst local officials continuously fighting for control of school decisions for the sake of control itself.” Hughes said she feared progress “will stall or regress” without a clear plan for the district.
All applicants will need to participate in a public forum on Dec. 16, from 5 to 7 p.m, to be considered for the role. The forum will be held at the Providence Career and Technical Academy. The public can submit questions ahead of time for candidates, who will have a moderated discussion during the forum.
After the forum, the selection committee will send its recommendations to Smiley, who will then forward his nominees to the Providence City Council for review.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
