Now, a group of parents is fighting against legislators who are trying to block the expansion of public charter schools for families who want out of the broken system one that has failed students for decades.
On Monday, Janie Seguí Rodríguez, the founder of Stop the Wait RI, said on GoLocal LIVE the efforts to block the expansion of charter school seats are unfair to Black and Brown children in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island State Senators Maryellen Goodwin, Ryan Pearson, Sandra Cano, and Ana Quezada have been leading the effort to reverse the decision by the Rhode Island Board of Education to expand public charter schools.
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Frustrated by a lack of action from the Rhode Island General Assembly on addressing Rhode Island’s broken education system combined with efforts to stop the growth of high-performing charter schools, parents from across the state have come together to form a parent advocacy group – Stop The Wait RI – to ensure their voices are heard at the General Assembly.
State Senator Maryellen Goodwin (District 1) has pushed legislation through the Senate the retroactively blocks more than 5,500 new charter school seats intended for primarily poor and urban school children. The legislation is also being strongly supported by State Senators Ryan Pearson, Sandra Cano, and Ana Quezada legislation that will also prohibit any new charters for three years.