Hiring Process

Hiring Process Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Providence Teachers Union positions:
Teachers, Long Term Subs (LTS) and Long Term Subs in Pool (LTSP)

How do I determine my salary and any applicable compensation?

Please be advised that any employee hired after September 1st, 2024 will be automatically placed on a 21-pay period cycle (which means your pay will not be spread over the summer months) and will have an opportunity to change in the summer of 2025.

If you are not a new teacher and have previous years of certified teaching experience, be sure to complete the Salary Step/Grade Certification form in your onboarding paperwork. Please note that your step and salary will require verification of your official, outside service credit within 30 days of your effective date (read on for more information about compensation and step verification).

Regularly appointed Teachers and Long Term Subs (LTS) are paid based on the Teacher's Salary Schedule (see far-right column of table below), which is negotiated by the Providence Teachers Union (PTU). Long Term Subs in Pool (LTSP) are also part of the Providence Teachers Union, but paid at a rate of $225/day in their first year (see section 1a for more details).

Your step placement corresponds to your salary and qualifying work experience. Teachers will move up one salary step for each full year (at least 135 days) of certified teaching completed. Step increases for teachers only occur twice a year: February or September.

***Teachers who start after 11/1/2024 will be on a February increment unless prior experience is provided***

In addition, educators with additional credit hours can also qualify for professional advancement in accordance with the following schedule:

• Bachelor’s + 30 Hours $2,955
• Master’s $3,355
• Master’s + 30 $3,757
• Doctorate $4,157

PPSD accepts up to a maximum of 12 years of inside and outside service credit as “qualifying work experience”.

In addition, there are certain employees working in hard-to-fill areas that will receive compensation above their base salary:

Loan Forgiveness: All educators of color are also eligible to apply for loan forgiveness through the Rhode Island Foundation that awards $25,000 in loan repayment over the course of three years. Please contact cynthia.ramirez@ppsd.org to receive more information on the application process.

• Outside Service: PPSD issues outside service credit for any employee who has worked at least 135 days as a licensed, full-time educator in another district in one school year. Please send your former employer the official PPSD outside service form and then have it scanned and emailed back to onboarding@ppsd.org.
• Inside Service: If a former employee returns to the PTU, they will receive credit for past certified experience, inclusive of LTS (long term sub certified) employment, if they had previously worked a full calendar year.
  • All certified School Psychologists will receive $200 above base salary.
  • All teachers of Special Education classes will receive $500 above base salary. This includes social workers, school psychologists, and school speech language pathologists.
  • All teachers of ELL/Bilingual classes will receive $800 above base salary.

1b. How does pay work for Long Term Subs, Long Term Subs In Pool, Certified Retiree Subs or Certified Retiree Administrators?

If you are a long term sub (LTS), you are a certified teacher covering for a specific vacancy in the district and will follow the same process for pay as any regular teacher would.

If you are a long-term sub in-pool (LTSP), you are eligible to be placed anywhere in the district and will be paid at a rate of $225/day. After 68 consecutive days in an assignment in your area of certification in one semester, you will be eligible to be placed on the teacher pay scale (LTS) retroactive to the start of the first day in the assignment. If you work a total of 68 days in varying assignments in two semesters, you will advance to a $244 day (Step 2) the following year. You will need to complete the Outside Service Form to determine step and pay scale. LTSP’s are considered part of the teacher’s union and are eligible for medical benefits.

If you are a certified retiree substitute, you will be paid at a rate of $244/day.

If you are a certified retiree administrator for operational support purposes, you will be paid at a rate of $354/day.

1c. How can I validate my grade and step?

Once you’ve accepted your job offer, please:

• Request that all official transcripts you may have are sent directly by the credit granting institution(s) to onboarding@ppsd.org electronically (faster) OR by mail to: Providence Public Schools, Attn: Human Resources, 797 Westminster Street, Providence RI 02903.
• Send the Outside Service Form or the Higher Education Outside Service Form to previous employer(s). Former supervisor(s) and/or HR representatives can fill out and return the form to onboarding@ppsd.org.

In the event you are also uncertified (see below) for your position you will be paid at the Step 1 rate or the LTSP rate until your emergency certification is issued. The resources above should help you to evaluate your expected step, professional advancement pay, and any additional compensation until HR receives your official documentation.

2. What if I am currently unlicensed or not appropriately licensed for my position?

Teachers, Long Term Subs and Long Term Subs in Pool who are not licensed through the Rhode Island Department of Education for their positions are eligible to be hired on a temporary basis under an emergency certificate or expert residency.

If you are unlicensed candidate, you will need to complete the following before receiving your official award letter:

• If you do not require an emergency certificate: apply for the appropriate license on the Ride Portal and follow the instructions from RIDE re: licensure.
  • If you have questions about applying for certification, you can book an appointment to start the process
• If you do require an emergency certification: schedule an in person licensure kick-off meeting by emailing ECERcerts@ppsd.org. During this meeting, you will be required to make a licensure completion plan to ensure you remain on track for completing your requirements. Please be advised that this is a required meeting.
• If you are seeking a license via other means, please consult the RIDE website here.

Emergency Certifications and Expert Residencies are valid for one academic year. If a candidate hired on an emergency has not obtained full licensure or met their renewal requirements by February 7th of the 2024-25 academic year, they will not be eligible to be automatically renewed into the position for the following academic year. In this case, they’ll need to reapply to their position when it is posted publicly in March.

2a. How will my pay work until my certification is issued?

New teachers who have fulfilled all of their onboarding requirements and supplied Human Resources with all of their required information will be placed at a minimum of step one salary with benefits. Upon the issuance of certification, salaries can be adjusted to reflect the appropriate step based on experience. If the RI Department of Education denies a teaching certificate for a candidate, their salary will be reduced to the Perdiem Substitute rate or the Long Term Substitute in Pool (LTSP) rate. Please note, any educator working under a certificate issued after November 8, 2024 will not receive a year of tenure for the 24-25 school year. Additionally, if an educator starts before they are fully certified, their seniority date will be the date they become fully certified.

3. What Happens Next (After I Accept My Contingent Job Offer)?

Upon acceptance of your contingent employment offer, you will be assigned a checklist of paperwork to be completed in our electronic onboarding system. You will receive an automated email with a link to access the checklist. You must also review the PPSD Employee Handbook.

Please note that you will receive a letter in the mail with information regarding retirement.

After you attend your welcome session and your BCI has cleared, the staffing team overseeing your hire will reach out to you and your School Leader/Department Head with your effective start date and an email titled “Your Hire has been completed”. This means that your hire is complete and you are officially authorized to begin working as of your effective start date. This email will be the greenlight for you to formally submit your Health Insurance forms to the City of Providence Benefits Department.

System Access Form: Please allow up to 72 hours from the time you receive your award letter to receive access to your emails, Skyward, Novatime, and other systems. Your administrative team will fill the form out for you in order for IT to grant you access.

4. How do I enroll in health insurance?

Please note: you cannot enroll in insurance until you’ve accepted your job offer and have been issued an employee ID number through the Office of Human Resources.

Enrollment forms, pricing, and more information can be found on the City of Providence Website, but we have also compiled the essential documents for teachers and Long Terms Subs here. The essential documents for Long Term Subs In Pool can be found here. Completed forms can be mailed, emailed or faxed. If faxed, please call the Health and Benefits Office at the City to confirm receipt.

Mailing Address:

City of Providence
Benefits Department
PO Box 1656
Providence, RI 02901

Phone: 401-680-5281

Fax: 401-680-5281

Email: benefits@ppsd.org

Deadline: You have 30 days from your effective date to enroll in health benefits. If you fail to enroll, you must wait until open enrollment to enroll, typically in the spring, or with a qualifying life event.

benefits@ppsd.orgCoverage begins the first day of the month following your hire date (if hired 3/2, your effective date would be 4/1; if hired 4/1, your effective date is 5/1)

Coordination of Benefits: Please take note of the Coordination of Benefits (COB) provision which applies to employees who have working spouses or qualified ex-spouses who have access to health coverage through his/her employer. Still have questions?

Please contact us at onboarding@ppsd.org.

1. What is the schedule? How does paid time off work?
   • Work Day: 8 hours (with 30 minutes)
   • Work Year: July 1st to June 30th, 12 months
   • Personal Days: 2 personal days/year (one day if hired on/after January 1); unused days do NOT carry over
   • Vacation Days: Your maximum vacation accrual is 60 days; accrues and credits on a monthly basis
   • Executive Level: 25 days (5 weeks)
   • Senior Management Level: 20 days (4 weeks)
   • Mid-Management Level: 15 days (3 weeks)
   • Entry Level: 10 days (2 weeks)
   • Sick Time: Your maximum sick day accrual is 180 days, 1 sick day/month
      
2. How is my salary determined?
   On your job description, there is a posted salary range that corresponds to the Providence Schools compensation ordinance for the current fiscal year. Generally speaking, there are 5, equally spaced steps within each range. Your step placement will be determined by HR and based on prior experience in this role or in a very similar role(s).
   
   In the event you have closely related experience in a different type of role, you will start on Step 1 (e.g. you were a teacher for five years with no supervisory experience and are moving into a manager or director position).
    
3. What if I am currently unlicensed or not appropriately licensed for my position?
   If you are unlicensed candidate in a position requiring licensure, you will need to complete the following:
   • Apply for the appropriate license on the Ride Portal and follow the instructions from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) re: licensure.
   • Fill out the Educator Certification Form and send it back completed, with a $200 check (made payable to the General Treasurer State of Rhode Island) to Elvira Logan (elvira.logan@ppsd.org). We will submit the completed application to the Rhode Island Department of Education.
   • Complete this form verifying you have signed up on the RIDE portal.
   • Schedule a licensure kick-off meeting with Elvira Logan (elvira.logan@ppsd.org). During this meeting, you will be required to make a licensure completion plan to ensure you remain on track for completing your requirements.
   • Emergency Certifications and Expert Residencies are valid for one academic year. It is your professional responsibility to maintain your licensure requirements to remain in good standing with Providence Public Schools and RIDE.
      
4. What Happens Next (After I Accept My Contingent Job Offer)?
   Upon acceptance of your contingent employment offer, you will be assigned a checklist of paperwork to be completed in Frontline. You will receive an automated email with a link to access the checklist. You must also review the PPSD Employee Handbook.
   
   After completing the checklist, an HR staffing coordinator will reach out to schedule a Welcome Session, where we will meet with you to verify submitted documents and collect any pieces that might be missing, including:

   Still have questions? Please contact us at onboarding@ppsd.org

   • Photo ID and Social Security Card (for I9)
   • BCI Receipt
   • DCYF Form
   • W-4
   • EEO Form
   • Direct Deposit
   • Emergency Contact
   • Official Transcripts (Undergraduate and Graduate)
   • Retirement paperwork (will be sent via regular mail) *During this session, you will also be issued your employee ID, which will follow you throughout your employment with PPSD.
   
   After you attend your welcome session and your BCI has cleared, the staffing coordinator overseeing your hire will reach out to you and your manager with your effective start date and an email titled “Your Hire has been completed”. This means that your hire is complete. This email will be the greenlight for you to formally submit your Health Insurance forms to the City of Providence Benefits Department.
    
5. How do I enroll in health insurance?
   Please note: you cannot enroll in insurance until you’ve accepted your job offer and have been issued an employee ID number through the Office of Human Resources.
   
   As a non-union employee you are eligible for RI Blue Cross for medical coverage and Delta Dental for dental coverage. Enrollment forms, pricing, and more information can be found on the City of Providence Website, but we have also compiled the essential documents for non-union employees here. Completed forms can be mailed, emailed or faxed. If faxed, please call the Health and Benefits Office at the City to confirm receipt.
   
   Mailing Address:
   City of Providence Benefits Department
   PO Box 1656
   Providence, RI 02901
   Phone: 401-680-5281
   Fax: 401-680-5281
   Email: benefits@ppsd.org
   
   Deadline: You have 30 days from your effective date to enroll in health benefits. If you fail to enroll, you must wait until open enrollment to enroll, typically in the spring, or with a qualifying life event.
   
   Coverage: Coverage begins the first day of the month following your hire date (if hired 3/2, your effective date would be 4/1; if hired 4/1, your effective date is 5/1)
   
   Coordination of Benefits: Please take note of the Coordination of Benefits (COB) provision which applies to employees who have working spouses or qualified ex-spouses who have access to health coverage through his/her employer.

1. How do I determine my salary and any applicable compensation?
   1. Teacher Assistants
      When you first receive your contingent offer, you will see the “Step 1” salary scale rate. This is dependent on the type of TA position you are awarded. You can reference *this table for the step scale for each type of TA position. Criteria Offer amount No TA Certification and/or No Parapro (or equivalent education) $14.50 TA Certification and Parapro (or equivalent education) Step 1* TA Certification + CNA license $24.08 In addition to the regular hourly pay a TA receives, TAs with college degrees shall receive the following additional pay which shall be added to their regular hourly pay:
      • Associate’s Degree $1.00/hour
      • Bachelor’s Degree $1.50/hour
      • Master’s Degree $1.75/hour
   2. Public School Safety Services Officers (Bus Monitors & Crossing Guards)
      Public School Safety Services Officers (PSSSOs) start as per diem status, which is $14.00/hour. After the successful completion of 60 working days, the employee will transition to probationary status at $15.21/hour.
   3. Business, Educational, Specialists, Technical Staff (B.E.S.T.)
      All salary ranges are composed of 4 steps: step 1 as the bottom of the range and step 4 as the top of the range. Please be advised that all B.E.S.T. employees will start at step 1 of their position’s salary range. To be eligible for a higher step placement, employees must submit a request to the 1033 Wage Equity Committee with a copy of an up-to-date resume. In order to be considered for additional step credit, employees must meet the following requirements:
      • Step 2 = 3 years of directly related professional experience
      • Step 3 = 6+ years of directly related professional experience
         
2. Do I need to obtain any special licenses or certifications?
   Teacher assistants are the only 1033 positions that require a certification.
   
   Article IV of the Teacher’s Assistants’ contract states, among other requirements, that teacher assistants must meet the following pre-employment qualifications:
   1. High school diploma or equivalency
   2. Literacy in the English language with the ability to read with comprehension and to write legibly
   3. Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) issued Teacher Assistant Certification
   You can refer to RIDE’s website for organizations that offer teacher assistant certification programs in Rhode Island.
   
   Additionally, RIDE requires teacher’s assistant to “demonstrate, through a formal State or local academic assessment”:
   1. knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing, reading, writing, and mathematics; or
   2. knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness as appropriate
       
   Organizations offering the ParaPro in RI can be found here.
    
3. How will my pay work until I obtain my Teacher’s Assistant Certification?
   If you are fully onboarded and have not yet completed your pre-employment requirements, you are able to start as a substitute and paid at the rate of $14.50/hour. Once you meet all Teacher Assistant requirements, you will receive your appropriate salary step from the date you completed the requirements.
   
   Please note that substitutes do not qualify for benefits or union membership. Benefits information will be provided to you upon your status as a probationary employee.
    
4. What Happens Next (After I Accept My Contingent Job Offer)?
   Upon acceptance of your contingent employment offer, you will be assigned a checklist of paperwork to be completed in our electronic onboarding system. You will receive an automated email with a link to access the checklist. You must also review the PPSD Employee Handbook.
   
   After completing the checklist, your school’s talent specialist will reach out to schedule a Welcome Session, where we will meet with you to verify submitted documents and collect any pieces that might be missing, including:
   • Photo ID and Social Security Card (for I9)
   • BCI (national background check) Receipt
   • DCYF Form
   • W-4
   • EEO Form
   • Direct Deposit
   • Emergency Contact
   • Copy of High School Diploma OR copy of College transcripts (send to onboarding@ppsd.org)
   *During this session, you will also be issued your employee ID number, which will follow you throughout your employment with PPSD.
   
   After you attend your welcome session and your BCI has cleared, the talent specialist overseeing your hire will reach out to you and your School Leader/Department Head with your effective start date and an email titled “Your Hire has been completed”. This means that your hire is complete and you are officially authorized to begin working as of your effective start date. This email will be the greenlight for you to formally submit your Health Insurance forms to the City of Providence Benefits Department.
    
5. What entails joining the 1033 Union?
   Union dues shall be deducted on a 10-month basis in an amount equivalent to 12 months’ dues for the employees who work on a 10-month schedule. Union dues shall be deducted on a 12-month basis for 12-month employees.
   
   Per the contract, to be eligible for permanent employment, all employees must successfully complete the six (6) month probationary period. For B.E.S.T employees, the 6 month probationary period starts on the employee’s first day of employment. For all other 1033 employees, the 6 month probationary period begins on the first day of full time employment. Any time spent in a per diem or LTS status will not count toward the 6 month probationary period.
   
   You can read through the different 1033 contracts at the links below:
    
6. • Teacher Assistant
   • Public School Safety Service Officers (PSSSO)
   • Business, Educational, Specialist, Technical Staff (B.E.S.T.)
   Special note for Teacher Assistants: All Teacher Assistants must be available for bus monitoring assignments. Paraprofessionals who have been monitoring buses for four (4) years or more shall have the right to request to be relieved of bus monitoring assignments provided that such request is made prior to June 1 for the following year. Paraprofessionals with less than four (4) years of employment as a paraprofessional must accept bus-monitoring assignments in accordance with their seniority in their school. 4a. Work Year 10-month employees Teacher assistants
   • 181 required work days (180 school days + 1 orientation day)
   • School Community Specialists (10-month)
   • 191 required work days (180 school days + 10 extra days)
   • Note: the 10 extra days are to be worked in the two weeks before school starts
   • 12-month employees The 12-month calendar is from July 1 - June 30 each year.
   4b. Work Hours An employee’s workday will not exceed a total of eight (8) hours scheduled at the employer’s discretion at any time or times between 6:30 A.M. and 5:30 P.M. Reporting hours for school-based positions will depend on bell times, which can be found here for the 24-25 SY. Employees who work more than eight (8) hours per workday or who work or are credited with more than forty (40) hours per week shall receive overtime wages at the rate of 150% of their regular wages, for all such hours worked or credited. Please note that any overtime must be approved in advance by a supervisor. Teacher assistants, child care workers, and PSSSOs are entitled to a lunch period of 30 minutes, in addition to a 20 minute break each day. 10-month and 12-month B.E.S.T. employees When school is in session, a normal work week shall consist of 40 hours, 5 days, Monday through Friday, 8 consecutive hours for all employees. When school is not in session, a normal work day shall consist of 7 ½ hours. The exact reporting times are dependent on the position and can be confirmed by your HR liaison or hiring manager. Each employee shall receive a lunch period of 1 hour, in addition to a 30 minute break each day. 4c. Time off Vacation time 10-month employees shall receive vacation in accordance with the school calendar. No additional vacation time is allotted. 12 month B.E.S.T. employees receive vacation according to the table below: Length of employment Vacation time 6 months 1 week (5 days) 1 year 2 weeks (10 days) 5 years 3 weeks (15 days) 10 years 4 weeks (20 days) 15 years 5 weeks (25 days) Sick time Employees accrue sick time monthly at the rates listed below Employee type Sick time accrual TAs + CCWs 1.3 days/month PSSSOs 1.2 days/month B.E.S.T. 1 day/month Other leaves Leave type Time off allowed per year Wedding 2 days Graduation ceremony 1 day Religious observance 3 days Personal 2 days Bereavement 1 - 5 days* *Please refer to your employee contract for the number of bereavement days you are entitled to.
    
7. How do I enroll in health insurance?
   Please note: you cannot enroll in insurance until you’ve accepted your job offer and have been issued an employee ID number through the Office of Human Resources. 1033 members must be considered full-time employees in order to qualify for union and health benefits. The essential documents for the 1033 Laborer’s Union can be found here. Completed forms can be mailed, emailed or faxed. If faxed, please call the Health and Benefits Office at the City to confirm receipt.
   
   Mailing Address:
   City of Providence Benefits Department
   PO Box 1656
   Providence, RI 02901
   
   Phone: 401-680-5281
   Fax: 401-680-5281
   Email: benefits@ppsd.org
   
   
   Deadline: You have 30 days from your effective date to enroll in health benefits. If you fail to enroll, you must wait until open enrollment to enroll, typically in the spring, or with a qualifying life event. Coverage: Coverage begins the first day of the month following or coinciding with your hire date (if hired 3/2, your effective date would be 4/1; if hired 4/1, your effective date is 5/1) Coordination of Benefits: Please take note of the Coordination of Benefits (COB) provision which applies to employees who have working spouses or qualified ex-spouses who have access to health coverage through his/her employer.

1. How do I determine my pay?

   Per diem substitutes are day to day substitutes and receive a rate of pay based on a tiered pay structure that provides additional compensation and given workday intervals:

   • 0-45 days: $130/day
   • 46-90 days: $160/day
   • 91-180 days: $190/day

   
   Per diem subs are not eligible for benefits.
    

2. What happens after the end of the school year?

   Prior to the end of the school year ten month employees are sent a letter of reasonable assurance for rehire for the following school year.

   Under Rhode Island General Law, any school employee that receives a reasonable assurance letter will not be eligible to use school wages to establish an unemployment claim in the between terms/school break recess/summer periods. An individual attempting to receive unemployment benefits during a between terms/school break recess/summer period must first contact the Department of Labor & Training to determine their eligibility. If you receive benefits during the between terms/school break recess/summer period and you failed to identify yourself as a school employee when you filed your claim, you may be declared overpaid and restitution could be required. If you do not wish to continue employment with the Providence School Department for SY24-25, please inform us before July 1st, 2024.
    

3. What happens next (after accepting my contingent job offer)?

   Upon acceptance of your contingent employment offer, you will be assigned a checklist of paperwork to be completed in our electronic onboarding system. You will receive an automated email with a link to access the checklist. You must also review the PPSD Employee Handbook.

   After completing the checklist, a staffing coordinator will reach out to schedule a Welcome Session, where we will meet with you to verify submitted documents and collect any pieces that might be missing, including:

   • Photo ID and Social Security Card (for I9)
   • BCI Receipt
   • DCYF Form
   • W-4
   • EEO Form
   • Direct Deposit
   • Emergency Contact
   • Official Transcripts (Undergraduate and Graduate)

   
   *During this session, you will also be issued your employee ID, which will follow you throughout your employment with PPSD.

   After you attend your welcome session and your BCI has cleared, the staffing coordinator overseeing your hire will reach out to you with an email titled “Your Hire has been completed”. This means that your hire is complete and that you can begin accepting substitute assignments.
    

4. Where can I find information about absence management, accepting assignments, and other guidance?

   We’ve put together a document that includes starter information for individuals who are subbing in the Providence Public Schools. Please review in advance of your welcome session so that we can answer any remaining questions at that time. For questions specific to Elementary, Middle, and High School, please see the below table for the following points of contact:

LEVEL	NAME	EMAIL	PHONE EXT.
Middle Schools/High Schools 6th Grade to 12th Grade	Keron Aird	keron.aird@providence schools.org	(401) 456-9100 x 11223
Elementary Pre-K to 5th Grade	Melina Cunningham	melina.cunningham@ppsd.org	(401-456-9100 X11222

 

Still have questions? Please contact us at onboarding@ppsd.org.