The agreement also requires a longer school day, more after-school tutoring, and other changes.
“What this means is that they have come to an agreement about a reform effort, and that will change the quality’’ of the education program at Central Falls, said Deborah Gist, Rhode Island’s commissioner of education, who applauded both sides for working together.
The board of trustees overseeing the school system in Central Falls, one of the poorest communities in the state, voted in February to fire the staff of one of the state’s worst-performing schools. The school was under a mandate from the state to make improvements, and it opted for the mass firings after a breakdown in talks with teachers about other measures that would have required more work, some without extra pay.
Obama, during a national address on education in March, said the firings were an example of the need for accountability for student performance.
Details of the agreement were to be released after a ratification vote by Central Falls teachers at a meeting today. The union and district had been working with a mediator since March.
Under the deal, teachers will need to recommit to their jobs and interview with the new principal. Other changes aimed at increasing student achievement include a new evaluation system designed to inform teaching and learning, as well as targeted and embedded professional development.
Central Falls Superintendent Fran Gallo said in a release that the “common-sense reforms will help more of our students succeed.’’
