PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — In the first week of school, the state-run Providence Public School District confirmed there are still 94 classrooms without a full-time teacher.
In an Aug. 22 interview with Target 12, Providence Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez said there were 104 vacancies , meaning just 10 positions had been filled prior to the first day of school on Sep. 3.
“The goal is to make sure every classroom is full with a fully certified educator,” Montañez said.
District spokesperson Jay Wegimont said most vacancies are in high-need areas such as math, science and special education.
Less than a week before the first day of school, the district announced it would offer a $10,000 salary bump in an effort to hire and retain special-education teachers.
The district said the salary increase would apply to any educator transitioning into three specialized instructional areas: Special Education – Behavior Intervention Program (BIP), Exceptional Child Services (ECS) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).