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).

A rare legal clash between the Justice Department and the federal judiciary echoes to Rhode Island, where a 1990s-era lawsuit filed by then–U.S. Attorney Sheldon Whitehouse offers precedent and underscores the escalating tensions between executive power and judicial independence
The new state law also mandates RAs to be trained to administer the life-saving opioid reversal medication
In her latest novel These Summer Storms, Rhode Island author Sarah MacLean trades dukes for tech dynasties, spinning a tale of inheritance games, family dysfunction, and second chances—set against the brooding backdrop of a storm-lashed island estate
After a near-fatal accident left him paralyzed, Google engineer Sasha Blair-Goldensohn turned personal adversity into advocacy—transforming Google Maps and New York City’s subway system to better serve people with disabilities, and reminding the world that accessibility benefits everyone
More than 1,200 voters cast ballots early in four-way primary competition