Teachers plan to picket mayor's education summit

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Providence Teachers Union plans to picket Mayor Jorge Elorza's All In education summit Saturday, in more fallout from an ongoing impasse over the teachers' contract.

Union president Maribeth Calabro said Elorza issued what she called "a veiled threat" against teachers who turn out to protest the breakdown in negotiations, which have been stalled since January.

Elorza's office said the union got the same invitation as everyone else — students, families, elected leaders and members of the news media. Spokeswoman Emily Crowell said that every member of the educational community and the city was invited to attend and participate in the summit, adding that invitations went out in the same way they did last year. 

"We worked with youth-driven organizations to plan the summit and agenda," Crowell wrote in an email. "The By All Means cabinet was involved in the planning of the event of which Maribeth has a seat. She did not attend the session that was specifically about the summit."

Calabro said the mayor called on Wednesday and said it wouldn't be "a good idea if the union showed up" to picket the event because it might send the wrong message to students, since this is a youth-driven forum.

"I believe the mayor expressed his concerns about another disruptive protest given comments from students last year about feeling disconnected from teachers in our schools," Crowell said, referencing a Journal story on the 2017 summit. 

More than 1,000 teachers and their supporters protested Elorza's state of the city address in February, drowning out the mayor's speech. Teachers staged a silent protest at Elorza's budget address last month.

Calabro said Elorza is stonewalling contract negotiations, largely because the union is pressing for pay raises. The mayor in February said he was seeking a "transformational contract," but didn't elaborate on what he was looking for in a contract.

David A. Salvatore, president of the Providence City Council, has arranged a meeting between Calabro and Elorza on Monday.

"Last month, I requested a meeting with Mayor Elorza and PTU President Maribeth Calabro to discuss the issues that are facing our city schools and our educators," he wrote in a statement. "...The time for diplomacy is now, and I am hopeful that both sides can come to the table and create a contract that works for everyone. I am disappointed to hear that the PTU was not included in the All-In Summit, but am hopeful that this may be rectified."

Providence School Board President Nic Hemond said he hopes the dispute can be resolved before the summit.

"It's a tough situation," he said. "Teachers want to be valued. Obviously, one of the ways you do that is compensation. The mayor is facing a very dark budget picture. We have to get through this impasse so we can remain focused on the kids. I hope we can resolve this in the next couple of days."

—lborg@providencejournal.com

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