Maribeth Calabro is the New President
of Rhode Island’s Largest Teachers Union

‘I’ve seen a lot,’ Calabro says as she exits the Providence public school district

Share
Maribeth Calabro is the New President
of Rhode Island’s Largest Teachers Union
Copy

After 30 years as a special education teacher in Providence, Maribeth Calabro is leaving the classroom to be the president of the R.I. Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.

She’s seen a lot of change in three decades teaching at Nathanael Greene Middle School — “I’m older than the furniture,” she joked — where she also served as the Providence Teachers Union president before being elevated to the statewide union.

In an interview with “Rhode Island PBS Weekly” and the Rhode Island Report podcast, Calabro discussed the Providence schools’ financial crisis, her early thoughts on the 2026 governor’s race and this year’s RICAS scores.

This story is part of a collaboration between The Boston Globe Rhode Island and Rhode Island PBS. To access the Globe online for free for 30 days, sign up here (no credit card required).

Ruling affirms state law that limits open-carry permits to those who can show a specific need
Meg Disanto, 42-year-old Providence resident, says the bridge traffic got so bad that she decided to have her kids change schools
Pope recognizes first miracle of his papacy, crediting prayers to a 19th-century Spanish priest for reviving an infant at a Pawtucket hospital
Illumina genomic sequencers were used widely by federal agencies and grantees, including URI researchers
The East Bay senator missed the mark when she took a shot at preserving a controversial assault weapons ban bill. But she hit on something else