PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 2 (UPI) -- The mayor of Providence, R.I., said he decided to fire hundreds of teachers because teachers who are terminated have no recall rights.
While Mayor Angel Taveras says many of the 1,926 teachers likely to get termination letters will be working next year, the district does not have to go by seniority or even hire back any of the fired teachers, instead of bringing someone new into the system, The Providence Journal reported. If teachers were laid off, rehires would have to be by seniority and some teachers could go into the substitute pool.
"For too long, politicians have avoided making the tough decisions," the mayor said in an e-mail Sunday to Providence residents. "Issuing notices of dismissals to all teachers was a last resort. ... Layoffs come with many provisions, legally and procedurally, that could impact our ability to control costs to the degree we need to."
The Providence Teachers Union says it will challenge every termination with the Rhode Island Labor Relations Board.
