The Education Wars: Central Falls Schools

There is disagreement over the "school reform" proposals pushed by its overpaid superintendent:

School Supt. Frances Gallo and the city’s teachers union gave conflicting accounts Thursday of how talks to reform the struggling Central Falls High School broke down last week, leading to the dramatic decision to fire the entire staff.

Gallo said she offered the high school’s 74 teachers “100-percent job security” for the 2010-11 school year, if they’d agree to her six conditions to transform the low-performing school.

But teachers union President Jane Sessums said that while the issue of job security certainly came up in negotiations, Gallo never promised to protect every job.

In the wake of their failure to reach agreement, Gallo mailed letters Thursday afternoon to every teacher at Central Falls High School informing them that she is recommending their termination at the end of the current school year. The school district’s Board of Trustees will vote on Gallo’s recommendation Feb. 23.

You can bet the school board is in the pocket of the superintendent. It's supposed to be the superintendent is a servant of the school board, who in turn are servants of the taxpayers.