Calabro, who now leads 12,000 union members nationwide, said his legislative priorities include reforming the school funding formula, improving the teacher retirement system and limiting the number of seats at charter schools, which draw funding from public schools traditional. (Charter advocates want to do the opposite, arguing that long waiting lists indicate there should be an expansion.)

In an interview with RI PBS Weekly and the Rhode Island Report podcast, Calabro didn’t shy away from her feelings about the Providence schools’ financial crisis, which could lead to elimination of sports: “Pay and we’ll figure it out later,” she said. She also discussed her early thoughts on the 2026 gubernatorial race — unions often influence RI gubernatorial races — as well as her take on this year’s race. RICAS enrollsand she answered the question: Are Providence schools better or worse by five years of state intervention?

Watch the RI PBS Weekly interview in the video above and see more of Steph Machado’s RI PBS weekly reports here. Listen to an extended version of the interview on the Rhode Island Report podcast in the player above. To hear the latest Rhode Island Report podcast every week, follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotifyand other podcasting platforms.

Steph Machado can be reached at [email protected]. Follow a @StephMachado.