On Wednesday, Aug. 31, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline appointed Donnie W. Evans, of Tampa,
as the capital city’s new superintendent of schools. Evans has been widely lauded for his achievements
in reform and innovation in public schools in Florida and North Carolina.
Dear Donnie,
First off, welcome to Providence – and congratulations on the new gig. I just wanted to drop you a note to help familiarize you with our beautiful city.
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I don’t know how much you know about the city, but I can summarize its recent history easily enough. Back in the 1970s it was sort of down and dreary. They built malls in the suburbs and people stopped shopping downtown. So lots of stores closed and the economy kind of tanked, and well, you get the idea.
But in the late 1980s and into the 1990s, the city enjoyed a real renaissance. First, they decided to move a river and all kinds of building went on, like the convention center, Waterplace Park and the Westin Hotel. Providence Place mall was also built.
Lots of folks didn’t think Providence Place would be a success, but it’s located right at the intersection of routes 95 and 195 and it’s been really busy since the day it opened. And, not to be negative, but if you do go to Providence Place, I’d park up on Smith Street in front of the State House and walk down the hill. It may seem like strange advice, but you don’t know strange until you try and figure out the mall’s parking garage.
Toward the end of that wonderful renaissance, the mayor at the time – Buddy Cianci – got in trouble and there was a trial and now he lives in New Jersey. He has to live there for about five years then he gets to come back. When he gets back, you’ll probably hear him on the radio. Space doesn’t allow me to go into detail about this part of the story, but you might want to pick up “Prince of Providence,” a book about the whole thing by Mike Stanton.
Anyway, after that renaissance, things cooled down for a while. Then, all of a sudden, in just the past couple of years, the renaissance has been back on. Now, instead of moving a river, a highway – that section of Route 195 that cuts through the city – is being moved.
It’s going to open up acres of land to develop. The Riverwalk that starts at Waterplace Park is being extended out to the Jewelry District. GTECH, a company that makes lottery machines, is building a new headquarters downtown.
There are also plans for the Westin to double in size, a couple of other hotels to be built and for a skyscraper of condominiums and apartments to go up on Westminster Street.
And while all of this is going on, there are almost a dozen buildings downtown that have been vacant for years that are being transformed into residential units.
I tell you all this because I think you’re going to play an important role in this renaissance – part two.
You see, when people talk about the city, they get all excited about the apartments and condos and the shopping and the restaurants. But they don’t get all excited when they talk about the city’s public school system.
Like any urban district, it’s got its problems. Heck, the state had to take over one of the high schools last year because less than half the kids were showing up for school. In most of the schools, the majority of kids weren’t even born in the U.S., so there are all kinds of language and cultural barriers to overcome.
But you know about all of that.
At your press conference, you said something prophetic:
“I believe that the most important endeavor in any community, including Providence, is the education of our youth. … I believe that all children can learn given the right conditions in schools … the challenge is to create those conditions.”
And if you succeed in that mission, then the city’s public school system will become another part of the renaissance. And instead of just talking about condos and shopping and restaurants, people will be talking about the city’s schools.
That’s where the business community comes in. You should ask for their help. They need to help you with mentoring programs and with visiting your schools and talking to the kids, telling them just what opportunities await them if they stay in school and get a good education.
A better school system means better workers. It also means that more workers will want to live in the city and send their kids to schools there. That, in turn, will help business leaders recruit and retain top workers.
So good luck and if you ever need help getting a message out to the business community, drop me a line. I’ll do what I can to help.
