PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island’s largest school district will have its first day of school Tuesday with thousands of students heading back to the classroom.

“I’m very excited for sports, having good grades, and graduating,” said Central High School senior Julia Gonzalez.

Ahead of the new school year, Providence Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez told 12 News they are looking to make enhancements to their career and technical education (CTE) programs.

“We’re also looking at some of the CTE programs that we have around the district right now, we’re up to, I think it’s 26 or 27 CTE programs,” said Montañez. “It’s giving them an option. They can do both. They can do one. You know, which one do they want to do? It’s giving them the option.”

Last week, it was decided the Providence Public School District will remain under state control for three more years after a state panel unanimously approved the recommendation of Rhode Island’s top education official.

Meanwhile, Montañez said he is happy about the progress Providence’s public schools have made in the four years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The gains that we have been doing, even through the pandemic, and after coming out of the pandemic, we’re still in it,” Montañez said. “I said it from day one when I became superintendent or acting superintendent. I said that Providence will become the destination of education. And I believe that, wholeheartedly, I believe that my leaders, my teachers, my community, my students, are going to do this. We are going to do this together.”

Throughout the city, Governor Dan McKee, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, and Montañez highlighted the work being done at new school buildings and “ redesign schools .”

“We have these amazing redesign schools that are opening up like Hope High School our performing arts school,” said Infante-Green. “We have Mount Pleasant, which is, training kids to be teachers, working with RIC (Rhode Island College).”

This is all a part of the district’s mission to promote academic excellence on the first day of school.

“Our kids really deserve 21st-century buildings. The way you teach now is not how you used to teach before,” Infante-Green said. “We use the tables, the kids actually write on the tables. The doors can swing open so the hallway becomes part of their classroom. It’s really hands-on, and it’s really what our kids need. There’s schools that will support all kinds of learning.”

“We have five redesigns, which is four high schools, one middle school, and it’s focused on giving alternative pathways to students so they can see what is possible in the future,” said Montañez.

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