A Rhode Island school board shocked its community with a decision to potentially fire all 74 teachers at Central Falls High School. 

We're looking at perspectives from NECN,WPRI, CNN, ABC, and True/Slant.com.

Central High School, located in Rhode Island's smallest and poorest community, consistently underperforms. The school's graduation rate is lower than its dropout rate, but still one student tells N-E-C-N she's sad to see the teachers go. 

"It's not motivating me to come to school anymore. It's not going to change any student's mind of learning."

But other students lobbied outside the Rhode Island Department of Education to say they don't want this batch of teachers, if they can't help. 


“I’m asking that for once money, power, ambitions are put aside and that we remember the students and place their needs at the forefront of our decisions.” (WPRI)

Still others say it's not the students' minds that need to be changed. The firing comes after teachers refused to accept salary terms for the extra time required to rebuild the school. CNN's education contributor, Steve Perry says the teachers needed to be let go. 

"93 percent of the children are not performing at proficient in math and they're asking for more money? And they can't stay after for 25 minutes? It takes you ten minutes to put your coat on."

Even though students are not meeting standards, teachers at Central Falls say they are starting to see improvements.

"I'm disheartened. I feel like after 20 years I can see some progress beginning to be made, and I'm sad that we're not going to be around to follow that through to push that forward." (ABC News)

True/Slant's Patti Hartigan agrees. She says teacher absence could cause additional issues for students. 

"The plan, of course, doesn’t take into account the lack of continuity for students, the loss of familiar adult faces, the emotional impact such draconian measures take on students, not to mention the complete and utter erasure of institutional memory."

The school has 120 days to submit a new plan to avoid layoffs, or the termination will take effect at the end of the school year.

So, is the mass termination a bit much? Or is it a much needed solution?

Writer: Veronica Wells

Producer: Newsy Staff