<[link removed]> Dear Friends and Neighbors, I am thrilled to share with you the latest updates from the Providence School District. As the newly appointed Chair of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee, I am excited to lead initiatives that will enhance career pathways for our students, ensuring they graduate with credentials, college credits, and career readiness. At our first CTE Committee meeting I proposed a framework that included a goal to have 70% of our students graduate with a CTE credential, class, or college credit. At our first CTE meeting, we reviewed a potential framework and discussed how we can move the needle forward. There was a robust conversation about balancing CTE credentials, classes, and college credit pathways, with some members suggesting targeted goals for each. There was also a suggestion to RIDE Certified CTE credential. In our next meeting, we aim to revisit this with a more specific and defined plan. Our next CTE meeting will be May 29th at 5:30pm at 797 Westminster Street, Providence RI. We’ll be revisiting this framework and learning about the Rhode Island Experiential Learning Navigator by Junior Achievement. I strongly encourage you to join us. On a personal note, I am excited to share that I have completed four out of six classes for the Public Leadership Credential Program at Harvard Kennedy School. This journey has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but it has greatly enhanced my ability to analyze problems and make informed decisions as a policymaker and School Board Member. While this experience has been invaluable, it has also limited my ability to fundraise, leaving my campaign account in the negative. A small donation would help me cover costs like my website and other campaign necessities. If you check my records, you’ll see I spend cautiously outside of campaign season. My campaign account covers regular expenses. Donate <[link removed]> PPSD Highlights Providence schools have been bustling with exciting events and good news: PCTA Shines on National Stage: Providence Career and Technical Academy (PCTA) was recently featured in a national media story about the importance of CTE amid the rise of AI, highlighting the success of our students and staff. One standout student, Angelina Sanchez, has already secured a job at Electric Boat and plans to attend college full-time. We have several dozens of students who have secured jobs at Electric Boat. This is the kind of future-ready preparation we strive for in our schools. PCTA Welding Competition and Food Truck Roundup: I had the pleasure of attending the RIDE and PPSD Second Annual Food Truck Roundup with School Board President Ty’Relle Stephens. The food our students made was outstanding. Some of the best food I’ve had our culinary programs are unmatched. PCTA also hosted its annual welding competition where students demonstrated their skills in advanced manufacturing, a critical industry for Rhode Island's economy. DOJ Acknowledges PPSD Progress: The Department of Justice recently acknowledged the significant progress made in our Multilingual Learner programming. This recognition marks the end of their monitoring under the 2024 Settlement Agreement. It’s a testament to the hard work of our educators and district leaders. Math Matters April Break Camp: Over 425 students engaged in hands-on learning during spring recess, with a focus on real-world statistics and probability. This initiative is part of the Math Matters RI campaign to boost math outcomes across the city. So many great programs exist in our District, but we don’t hear about those great programs when our political leaders talk about the funding crisis. I hope this shows how important it is to secure funding for our students. These initiatives are great but with adequate funding we can scale. Working Toward Local Control Our district is actively preparing for the transition back to local control with the support of The Council for Great City Schools, a professional development team that coaches urban school districts across the nation. This is a significant and challenging process, but I am confident that our dedicated team is ready to undertake this important work. I’m also confident in the track record of The Council For Great City Schools and the training we’ve done thus far. The board is in the process of creating a plan to engage with the community and create goals for the district. The board is united in this work and we have great partners in the Council, Mayor, and Commissioner. Teaming Up with School Board Member Melissa Hughes I want to take a moment to acknowledge my colleague, Melissa Hughes, who serves as my counterpart on the School Board. Melissa has been incredible to work with, and we also serve together on the School Building Committee. Her dedication to our schools is inspiring. She’s been an extraordinary asset getting me up to speed in my journey as a School Board member. She’s a previous school board member and has served in several capacities as a parent advocate. I’ve been learning a lot from her and fortunate to have a strong ally to lean on. We have our work cut out for us but the district has been making progress. All boards have disagreements and so do stakeholders but it’s important that we stay committed to our students. I’ve seen the type of energy in these last few months that not only meets that expectation but exceeds. Let's keep moving forward, together. Sincerely, Corey Jones School Board Member, Region 1 Paid For By Friends of Corey Jones, Abigial McDonough, Treasurer 95 Evergreen St. Providence, RI 02906 Providence, RI 02906 United States Powered by Squarespace <[link removed]> Unsubscribe <[link removed]> <[link removed]>