Meet candidates running for Providence school board in Region 1
by ABBEY BUTTACAVOLI, NBC 10 NEWS
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — For the first time in 60 years, the Providence Public School District will have a partially elected school board.
There are five regions in the city. One member from each region will be appointed by Mayor Brett Smiley, and the others will be elected by voters.
Three candidates are running to represent Region 1 on the Providence Public School Board. NBC 10 News reached out to all of them.
Two responded: Corey Jones and Herman Brewster.
“I used to be a teacher,” said Brewster, who taught English in Providence for 16 years.
Before that, Brewster was a councilor at a prison. He said he’s been eager to run for the school board.
“After realizing how bad things were, I felt that if I’m going to complain, I need to try to do something about it,” said Brewster.
Brewster said his goal is to fight for the proper use of school funding, support teachers ability to teach, and provide better social and emotional resources for students.
“To get people up in arms and say, you know, why are we throwing money away?” said Brewster. “I feel that if I can become a school board member, then that gives me access to the schools, because if you’re not in the schools and you’re only looking in or talking to someone, you really don’t know what’s going on.”
One of his opponents, Corey Jones, said he and his fiancée are starting their family in Providence.
“I felt that the narrative and the community was very different from the reality, and I wanted to be a part of ensuring that that reality is one that we want for our children and that we want for our community,” said Jones.
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Jones has worked as a substitute teacher, a policy adviser under the governor, and a policymaker for the Department of Labor to create adult education programs to connect them to jobs.
“I think I have the professional experience, the lived experience, the long-term experience of being a student and the ambition and drive to get it done,” said Jones.
Jones said he wants to fight for a community schools model, student focused governance of schools, and for the arts, career, and technical education.
He even campaigns on TikTok.
The candidates told NBC 10 News how they believe they stand apart from their opponents.
“I think they are not interested in complaining but interested in being able to say I am on the school board,” said Brewster. “I’m not so much interested in being able to say I’m on the school board, but I want to say that I’m an advocate of change.”
“My experience being more fresh is really similar to the work that needs to be done, the population we need to serve, and really we need to change our school infrastructure to meet this new population because we have it,” said Jones.
The two agree, having elected board members is a good thing.
Early voting is underway. Election day is Nov. 5.