Rhode Island
Providence School Board makeover is halfway there after Tuesday’s election • Rhode Island Current

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s office begins accepting applications Friday for five open seats on the city’s school board. Voters on Tuesday already decided who will fill the other five.
For the first time since 1966, Providence voters had a say in who sits on the school board after a new, hybridized board structure was approved by the city’s voters in 2022, reversing a decision the city’s electorate made a half-century earlier. In 1968, about 56% of the city’s voters approved a change to make all seats on the school board appointed
According to unofficial, preliminary results, the winning, nonpartisan candidates are:
- Corey Jones in District 1.
- Miche’le Lee Fontes in District 2.
- Heidi Silverio in District 3.
- Mireya Mendoza in District 4.
- Ty’Relle Stephens in District 5.
The Providence Public School Department (PPSD) has been under state control since 2019. That takeover left the board’s powers severely limited, which means its members often act in a consultory or symbolic role, and have no direct influence over how the district spends money, or how it hires or fires teachers and staff. Those important decisions are made largely at the state level.
Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green oversees the state takeover, which she extended in August, forecasting its end sometime in the next three years. Since board members stay on for four years, both newly elected and appointed members could enjoy more decision-making power in the latter portion of their terms.
Power limitations didn’t stop enthusiasm for the race, which saw endorsements from both union and charter stakeholders.
“Voters chose candidates that will ensure parents, community, students and educators will have a voice in the conversation and a seat at the table to strengthen our schools, collaborate on a fair funding formula, and chart a course for successful public schools,” said Maribeth Calabro, outgoing president of the Providence Teachers Union, in an email Thursday.
Jones, Silverio and Stephens had the teachers’ union endorsement, while Fontes was the sole victorious candidate endorsed by Stop the Wait RI, a pro-charter school organization. Stephens, who did not respond to a request for comment Thursday, was the only incumbent board member who won his contest. Three of his colleagues — Michael Nina, Toni Akin, and Night Jean Muhingabo — lost their respective races.
The defeated incumbent Muhingabo is hopeful he may still be appointed by Smiley, said his spokesperson Diego Arene-Morley in a text message on Thursday. Muhingabo, 25, ran for the first time. Arene-Morely noted that some of the candidates have been in Providence politics for as long as Muhingabo has been alive.
The City Council will presumably vote on Smiley’s nominees in February, said Anthony Vega, a spokesperson for the mayor. The school board will elect its president during a full meeting that same month. Erlin Rogel, the current president of the school board, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
“One of the hardest things in the education space is it feels like we keep doing the same thing over and over again,” Smiley said at a press conference Wednesday.
Smiley said he had spoken to and congratulated the newly elected board members, who were “full of energy and enthusiasm,” that morning. But he also noted they would need to learn the ropes quickly.
“In an attempt to not repeat the mistakes of the past or start from scratch yet again, we’re going to be working closely with them to brief them on the turnaround plan, brief them on the history of how we got to this point, and bring them up to speed,” Smiley said, referring to the guiding document for the takeover.
The mayor plans to interview finalists from Dec. 30, 2024, through Jan. 6, 2025, before sending his choices over to the City Council for their stamp of final approval.
Currently, the board has nine members, and their terms will expire at the end of the year regardless of when they were appointed.
Voters on Tuesday also approved a bond worth $400 million — the most expensive in Rhode Island this election year, at either the municipal or statewide level — to make capital improvements to the city’s schools. With interest, the bond’s estimated cost is $686 million, and the construction projects are expected to last from approximately May 2026 to June 2029.
Funding fights continue
While capital improvement got a big boost from voters, the district’s finances are in seriously bad shape. Just how bad is a matter of contention between the district, RIDE, the mayor’s office and the Providence City Council. On Oct. 10, Mayor Smiley called a press conference to criticize the“ultimatum” Superintendent Javier Montañez made the previous day asking for $10.9 million for the district.
Montañez warned that without the emergency cash infusion, schools could soon see programs slashed apart, including winter and spring athletics and bus passes.
Smiley promised $1 million in additional funding from city coffers — ones newly stuffed from payments in lieu of taxes from local, major nonprofits like Brown Health, formerly Lifespan. The City Council would need to approve the funding — which it did, offering another $1.5 million along the way on Oct. 22. But both mayor and council were aligned that their gifts came with a caveat: The school district would be subject to an independent audit of its finances. The City Council additionally asked that the emergency money be used to restore bus passes and sports.
Montañez has not accepted the offers. He wrote to the mayor on Oct. 11 that “the City has money, but it’s choosing not to invest in schools,” and replied on Oct. 23 to the City Council’s Chief of Staff June Rose that their offer was “insufficient.” The City Council then held a press conference on Oct. 29, noting the superintendent had ignored a followup letter from Council President Rachel Miller.

The district’s money problems are something of a tradition. Back in 1968, the push for an all-appointed board was led by then-mayor Joseph A. Doorley Jr., who wanted to disassemble the elected board because of “muddled school finances,” the Providence Journal reported then. Mayor Doorley also noted that an independent audit of the district’s finances had found a $2.4 million deficit — about $22 million in today’s dollars but almost the exact same figure city officials are offering to repair the budget gap in 2024.
A City Council subcommittee was originally set to discuss this emergency funding — which would be pulled from pandemic relief that expires in December — Thursday. But the meeting was postponed, citing a court hearing earlier that day regarding a legal battle between the city and state.
Following a request from Infante-Green to Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa to withhold $8.5 million in car tax refunds, Providence filed a Superior Court complaint on Oct. 16 to block the action.
“We now also need to resolve the recent withholding order as it will affect the City’s ability to provide any additional support,” said Josh Estrella, a Smiley spokesperson, in an email Wednesday.
Whoever ends up footing the bill, some students and their families are getting restless with the back-and-forth, and they congregated outside Providence City Hall on Monday to call for the district’s acceptance of the $2.5 million, even if it doesn’t meet the full amount needed. A video by Steve Ahlquist shows students speaking on the steps.
“Brett Smiley, the city of Providence, and every adult in power: Do better,” said Nya Isom-Agazie, a junior at Providence Career and Technical Academy, who was recorded in Ahlquist’s video speaking on the steps. “I don’t want to be back up here.”
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Rhode Island
Providence man arrested in connection to narcotics and firearms investigation | ABC6

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island State Police said a Providence man was arrested after police allegedly discovered multiple narcotics and a gun inside two residences on Sept. 23.
47-year-old Joel Garcia was charged with possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver one ounce to one kilogram of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while committing a controlled substance violation, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and distribution of a controlled substance in a school zone.
According to RISP, police received court-authorized search warrants for two residences in Providence in connection to a narcotics and firearms investigation.
Inside an apartment on Dresser Street, police allegedly seized 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.3 kilograms of cocaine, and 147 grams of methamphetamine.
Police also searched Garcia’s residence on Portland Street and allegedly seized one fully loaded pistol.
According to police, Garcia had allegedly used the apartment on Dresser Street to “store, package, and distribute large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.”
Garcia was arrested and charged.
RISP, Providence police, Cranston police, North Providence police, Johnston police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Rhode Island National Guard Counterdrug Program assisted in the investigation.
Rhode Island
The Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford

Millions have been mourning the death of a cinematic icon over the last week with the passing of Robert Redford at age 89.
The award-winning actor is arguably one of the most famous of all time. With over 70 films to his credit on screen and nine he directed throughout his career, Redford’s work in cinema stands out as some of the greatest.
Though only two of Redford’s movies were ever filmed in Rhode Island, the Oscar-winning actor has a deep connection with the Ocean State.
Redford’s Family Roots Near Rhode Island
Though no Redfords actually lived in Rhode Island, Robert’s family was longtime residents of Stonington, CT and several members were born in nearby Westerly, RI.
READ MORE: ‘Sopranos’ Star Officially Becomes a Rhode Island Resident
Throughout Robert Redford’s childhood there were visits to his grandparents in Stonington, where his grandfather worked as a milkman.
Presumably this time in Stonington meant crossing the state line into Westerly on more than one occasion in his youth and perhaps led to his love of the Rhode Island seaside in later years.
Filming The Great Gatsby in Newport
During his career, Redford came to Newport in the 1970s to film The Great Gatsby at the historic Rosecliff Mansion. Decades later he returned to Rhode Island with the science fiction film The Discovery and even wrote a thank you letter to Newport, praising their preservation efforts in the city.
READ MORE: HGTV Says You Need to Drive This Road in Newport
Though when he did ultimately settle in New England, Redford chose Weston, CT as his home for almost two decades. He purchased a home not too far from his close friend and fellow actor, Paul Newman.
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Rhode Island Honors Robert Redford
Rhode Island never forgot its ties to the beloved actor however. In 2002 Redford was asked to be the commencement speaker at Brown University and that same year Trinity Repertory Company awarded him a Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.
Just one of the many lifetime achievement awards Robert Redford would go on to accumulate during his illustrious career.
20 Stars Who Hail From Rhode Island
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the nation, but it has been home to many celebrities. Though some have moved here, filmed here or attended school here, only a handful were actually born here. These are those celebrities.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Academy Award and Golden Globe Winners from Massachusetts
These Massachusetts natives have taken home some of Hollywood’s top honors.
Gallery Credit: Michaela Johnson
30 Things To Do in Newport Any Time of Year
Newport has always been seen as a summer destination. Wealthy New Yorkers used to escape the city in the hotter months for this picturesque seaside spot and the label as a summer vacation destination began.
There are, however, plenty of things to do in this historic town in any season and we’ve found a few that you may want to try the next time you head to Newport.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Rhode Island
GoLocalProv | Sports | VIDEO: Providence’s Lassiter Scores 44-Yard TD in Vanderbilt’s Upset Over #11 South Carolina

Sunday, September 14, 2025
Zell Lassiter
PHOTO: Via Vanderbilt
Providence’s Jamezell Lassiter had a big play on a huge stage on Saturday when Vanderbilt football upset #11 South Carolina. SEE 7:25 MARK.
Lassiter, who played for the Edgewood Eagles and the Mount Hope Cowboys and attended the San Miguel School in Providence, smoked the Gamecocks on a 44-yard touchdown score.
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Vanderbilt won 31-7 over No. 11 South Carolina, snapping a 16-game losing streak between the two programs.
Zell Lassiter PHOTO: Vanderbilt Athletics
In 2024, GoLocal sports columnist Robert McMahon wrote about Lassiter’s journey to the top Division I program:
His athletic skills impressed his San Miguel classmates. Flag football, soccer, basketball—Jamezell could do it all. He was a natural athlete.
But the transformation of Zell, as he likes to be called, happened in the San Miguel classroom.
READ MORE HERE
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