Petition to End Seniority Hiring and Bumping in Providence Public Schools

[Better Providence]

Dear Friends,

We are forwarding an important petition initiated by Young Voices, the
Providence Excellence in Education Coalition (PEEC), and the East Side
Public Education Coalition (ESPEC) that calls on the Providence
Teachers Union to drop their insistence on seniority-based hiring and
assigning for teachers in Providence public schools.

http://www.petitiononline.com/especyv4/petition.html

As many of you may know, the Providence Public Schools recently gained
the authority to hire and place teachers based on the needs of
students and schools in refreshing contrast to the strict seniority
rules that have previously dictated all placement decisions. The
Providence Teacher's Union has filed a lawsuit to restore seniority-
based hiring and the "bumping" that resulted. We agree with Young
Voices, PEEC and ESPEC that this is not a positive step, but we are
hopeful that together we can convince them to drop the lawsuit and
work with parents, students and the Providence School Department to
move towards a better future for our schools and our city.

If you agree, please sign the petition and circulate it widely. They
are hoping to gather 1000 signatures in the next three weeks!

http://www.petitiononline.com/especyv4/petition.html

Many thanks,
Lorne and Meredith

p.s. You may have seen the Mayor's piece on the progress that has been
made in Providence Public Schools in yesterday's Projo - if not, you
can find it here:

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_cic23_09-23-09_VSFJ84S_v9.3f8e0fd.html