The AFL-CIO Executive Council has condemned the firings of the entire education staff at Central Falls (Rhode Island) High School and is calling on the Obama Administration and the local school superintendent to work together with teachers to create an environment that allows both students and teachers to succeed.     

In the midst of the worst job crisis since the Great Depression, more than 90 dedicated professional educators are out of a job.  On February 23rd, the Central Falls school trustees fired the entire teaching staff of the high school, which is located in Rhode Island's smallest and poorest city.  In all, 93 got pink slips - 74 classroom teachers, plus reading specialists, guidance counselors, physical education teachers, the school psychologist, the principal and three assistant principals.  Negotiations over strategies to improve the school between teachers and the school superintendent had broken down when the superintendent walked away from the table and fired the teachers.

In a released statement, the AFL-CIO Executive Council said: "The approach embraced by the Central Falls superintendent - mass teacher firings - has been demonstrated to be a failed model that will not result in the kinds of changes necessary to continue improving instruction and learning.  We are also appalled at recent comments by President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan condoning the firings.  These comments are unacceptable, do not reflect the reality on the ground and completely ignore the teachers' significant commitment to working with others to transform this school.  The comments are particularly disappointing in light of the recent state report, which found that the high school's reading and writing proficiency have gone up 22% and 14% respectively over the past two years."

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten summed it up this way: "Students and teachers at Central Falls High School deserve the best and the fact is that they haven't gotten it.  It is incumbent upon all stakeholders to turn that around, not by mass firings but by focusing together on programs that work and on providing students and teachers with the tools they need to succeed.  We ask the Central Falls school district to reconsider the mass firings and attempt to work out a genuine reform plan through a mediator to achieve the best outcome for students and teachers."

The AFL-CIO Executive Council strongly backed the teachers, saying: "We stand in support of the Central Falls Teachers Union in its fight to improve the teaching and learning in Central Falls schools, preserve the rights of its members and keep the teachers where they belong - in the school, working with the students and making progress on academics.  We call on the Central Falls administration to return to negotiations with the Central Falls Teachers Union and seek, in good faith, a collaborative path to proven reforms that provide students with the opportunity to succeed."