For students, teachers at 360 High School, confusion and tears over announcement of closing

PROVIDENCE – When students at 360 High School were told Wednesday that their school would close, it didn't come from the superintendent. It came, two seniors said, from a Providence Public School District spokesperson.

"He just kept repeating himself. … He kept talking over students," said student Nurkis Payampas. "He wouldn’t let students finish their questions."

Payampas didn't remember exactly who told them, just the confusion in the room and the questions that students still have about their teachers' jobs. Days later, PPSD spokesperson Jay Wegimont said the meeting was led by 360 Principal Kerry Tuttlebee and Transformation Officer Khaleel Desaque. A LinkedIn page for Desaque states that he lives not in Rhode Island but in Pennsylvania.

Nicole McClelland, another student who was at the meeting, recounted the same situation and being left without a direct answer to the question – why is this happening?

More: Students stage walkout over 360 High School closure. Here's why it's shuttering.

Teachers say they are not guaranteed new employment

Caleigh Rockwal, a social studies teacher at the high school, said she and her colleagues were told their jobs are not guaranteed after the school closes at the end of this academic year and sends its students to Juanita Sanchez High School.

PPSD has said that teachers can reapply for jobs in the district, but teachers who spoke with The Providence Journal said they have been told that there is no promise they will get a new job.

"There is no safety net, and it’s really frustrating, because they’re calling this a merger. …. But that’s impossible to do when you’re displacing an entire staff," Rockwal said.

Catherine Sullivan, who teaches science at the school, said teachers "were told we won’t receive preference over anyone else in the district" when applying for another position. (However, Wegimont later said the 34 displaced teachers would receive preference over "external applicants.")

Rockwal and Sullivan painted a picture of disarray as classes continued during the week, from depressed faculty to tearful students. Students are raising questions that teachers can't answer because they don't have enough information about what is happening to their school.

Superintendent Javier Montañez told the school community that Juanita Sanchez next year will become the "Juanita Sanchez Life Sciences Institute ... with a focus on preparing students for high-growth, high-wage industries in the life sciences."

But teachers don't know what that means.

"We have received no notice about what this new life sciences program will look like. … All we have been told is that it’s being rebranded, and we don’t know what these programs will look like for students," Rockwal said.

School district cites underperformance as reason for closure

Wegimont said 360 High School has been "a chronically underperforming school," and because it has not improved enough, it has been slated for "redesign."

Meanwhile, Moñtanez has pointed to enrollment declines as a contributing factor in the closure, stating "it has become increasingly difficult to provide equitable opportunities in smaller high schools."

PPSD nears fiscal cliff, expects layoffs with end of COVID funds

So far, PPSD has not acknowledged its finances as a reason for the school's closing and the elimination of faculty jobs. But the district is hurtling toward a fiscal cliff as federal pandemic funds for education dry up this year. A Georgetown University analysis estimates that 320 to 500 full-time jobs are at risk within the district.

More: Pandemic funding for schools is drying up. For Providence, it could mean disaster

The district has already frozen hiring, and layoffs are expected. In January, state Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green told reporters that "districts are all going to feel the difference in funding" because federal COVID-19 money has dried up.

"There will be positions that will be eliminated," she said. "That we know will happen – whether it happens this year or the coming year – but that will happen."

In total, Wegimont said the district expects to save $1.8 million with the closure of 360 High School.

Corporation that helped fund the school is mum on its demise

The Carnegie Corporation of New York, a philanthropic foundation, gave PPSD $3 million in 2014 for two innovative schools: Evolutions High School, which closed in 2020, and 360 High School, which is planning to close. Yet the corporation had no comment on the use of its funds for two institutions that decision-makers chose to shutter. The corporation told The Journal it is "referring questions on the closure to the Providence Public Schools."

Rick Battistoni, a Providence College professor and former head of the college's Feinstein Institute for Public Service, recalled helping to enrich student experiences at 360 High School.

The college partnered with the school for its first four years of operation, featuring dual-enrollment courses that allowed high school and college students to work together in civics classes. The collaboration resulted in a survey of the high school seniors about how they view their school. The results were positive, with students reporting strong relationships with teachers.

The school has also focused on creating a democratic culture where student voices are heard, and practicing restorative justice to avoid suspensions and foster more positive behaviors among students.

Battistoni recalls the times he walked into the school, which, in a matter of months, will cease to exist.

"It was different," Battistoni said. "And you got a sense that there was this mutual respect, that the culture was really positive."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Teachers at 360 High School left without job security in closing