Fired R.I. teachers to vote on deal to rehire them

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — All the teachers who were fired from their positions at a struggling Rhode Island high school are voting on an agreement that would restore their jobs.

The teachers at Central Falls High School are deciding this afternoon whether to ratify the agreement, which would allow the roughly 90 teachers who were fired to return without having to reapply.

The board overseeing the school voted in February to fire all teachers at one of the state’s lowest performing schools.

The firings caught the attention of President Barack Obama, who in March offered support for the move as an example of accountability over student performance.

The agreement reached over the weekend would require the teachers to work a longer school day and provide more after-school tutoring, among other changes.