At age 19, fresh out of Juanita Sanchez High School, Ty'Relle Stephens became the youngest member of the Providence School Board. Now he's trying to shake things up amid a state takeover of the school department that he doesn't think is working.
At age 19, fresh out of Juanita Sanchez High School, Ty'Relle Stephens became the youngest member of the Providence School Board.
One year into his time on the board, Stephens has doubts about the success of the state takeover of the Providence schools, including the recent decision to extend the goals of the turnaround by at least two years.
He's also joined a community effort calling on the state to start the process of hiring a permanent superintendent, nearly a year after Harrison Peters was ousted. The School Board no longer has power over hiring district leaders.
In this episode of Pulse of Providence, Stephens talks about his experience in the Providence schools prior to the 2019 Johns Hopkins report, how he thinks the takeover is going and what he's trying to change from within.