Providence Students Say More Funding and Better Transportation Would Improve City Schools

A group of over 80 students and community members shared their visions for the city’s school district at a forum held in South Providence Tuesday evening. Some said they lack good transportation options, necessary support, and adequate facilities

Students and community members gathered Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024 at the Elmwood Community Center to discuss their vision for Providence schools.
Students and community members gathered Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024 at the Elmwood Community Center to discuss their vision for Providence schools.
Mareva Lindo/The Public’s Radio
Share
Students and community members gathered Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024 at the Elmwood Community Center to discuss their vision for Providence schools.
Students and community members gathered Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024 at the Elmwood Community Center to discuss their vision for Providence schools.
Mareva Lindo/The Public’s Radio
Providence Students Say More Funding and Better Transportation Would Improve City Schools
Copy

The Elmwood Community Center in South Providence was bustling with the sound of over 80 students on Tuesday night. Teachers and other community members were also sprinkled throughout the loud crowd.

The event was one of a series of community conversations being held by the OurSchoolsPVD Alliance, a coalition of youth-led organizations and allies that formed when the Providence Public School District was first put under the state’s control in 2019.

The participants gathered to offer ideas they want to see city and state leaders implement to help improve their struggling school district, which remains under state control. Students said they want decision-makers to commit more funding towards transportation and school repairs, among other priorities.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Plus: Your last chance to catch this year’s Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park Zoo
At Alfred Lima Elementary School, a student-run news crew is flipping the narrative on Providence’s public schools — interviewing state leaders, reporting in two languages, and sharing their stories with the world
Mayor Brett Smiley discusses how his administration is tackling the city’s biggest issues — from the housing shortage and SNAP crisis to community trust in police — as he looks ahead to a 2026 re-election bid
USDA says it will not send out food stamp money in November due to the federal shutdown. Now, Rhode Islanders are grappling with how to make ends meet
Federal cuts to Medicaid could leave up to 50,000 Rhode Islanders without health insurance, straining the state’s already limited primary care system and putting communities like Central Falls - where half the population relies on Medicaid - at particular risk, according to Dr. Michael Fine