Four Months After Getting Its Schools Back From the State, Providence Is Losing Its Superintendent and Three Top Deputies, While Four Schools Run on Space Heaters

What happened

Providence Public Schools Superintendent Javier Montañez has hired a private lawyer to negotiate an exit agreement with the Providence School Board, the Boston Globe reported this week, citing three people with direct knowledge of the talks. His contract runs through June 30, 2027, but the Globe reported that an announcement could come before the end of the year. On Friday, WPRI’s Target 12 posted a story headlined “Providence superintendent expected to announce exit.”

The district returned to local control in July, ending nearly seven years of state takeover. Since then, WPRI reported, three other senior officials have left: Deputy Superintendent of Operations Zack Scott resigned Sept. 25, Deputy Superintendent of Academics Paula Dillon resigned Oct. 16, and Chief of Staff Lisa DiMartino resigned Oct. 23. Before leaving, Scott told a chaotic, hourslong board meeting that he was “increasingly concerned” about his ability to do his “best work in this current environment.” At that meeting, board members largely argued over the performance of board President Ty’Relle Stephens and called for his removal.

State Rep. David Morales, the Democratic nominee for Providence mayor, confirmed to NBC 10 on Thursday that the city will be looking for a new superintendent and said his team hopes to help pick an acting one. “Things are moving relatively quickly, as we have seen,” he said. Stephens said in a statement that the board “has taken no official action.” NBC 10 reported that the board’s postponed vote on whether to remove Stephens as president is expected at its Nov. 18 meeting.

Meanwhile, the heat

The same week, the Providence Journal reported that boiler problems left students cold at four schools: Central High, Nathanael Greene Middle, Hope High, and George J. West Elementary. Hope High opened two hours late on account of the heating repairs, and the district shipped emergency space heaters to the other three. At Greene, so many space heaters were running that the whole second floor lost power, which matters because, as Providence Teachers Union President Lindsay Paiva noted, the curriculum runs on smart boards and computers. Teachers also reported cold rooms at Alvarez High, Leviton Dual Language School, and parts of Classical High.

The district said all its boilers passed state and contractor inspections this summer and that it is working with ABM, its facilities maintenance company, on repairs. As of Thursday, Greene’s boiler was running again; Central’s was repaired, but a state inspection turned up more problems; George West’s was still being fixed, and the district is looking at a new boiler there. At Hope High, the district said the boiler sat inside the work zone of a separate construction project “without PPSD’s knowledge or authorization,” so crews couldn’t reach it.

Update (Oct 30): Montañez Announces He Will Resign; District Won’t Release the Exit Terms

It’s official. Superintendent Javier Montañez announced Friday that he is stepping down, Rhode Island Current reported. “After laying the foundation, it’s now time for me to move on and allow the next generation of leaders to take Providence Public Schools to the next level,” he said in a statement released by the district. District spokesperson Alex Torres-Perez said the decision was “entirely his,” that no resignation date has been set because Montañez is still finalizing his departure with the School Board, and that he will keep running the district in the meantime.

The terms are under wraps. The district did not disclose any severance or continued benefits, RI Current reported; his contract runs through June 2027. GoLocalProv asked for a copy of the settlement agreement, and the school department said it isn’t finalized.

What comes next. Board President Ty’Relle Stephens wrote in a letter to the community that the board will post an interim superintendent job next week, open first to internal candidates with superintendent certification, and will consider widening the search to outside candidates after interviews. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said she was “deeply saddened” and credited Montañez with higher graduation rates, lower chronic absenteeism, and better buildings.