Flynn: “Blessed with a career I have loved”

From The Cranston Herald  Wednesday, December 4, 2024

By BARBARA POLICHETTI

Frank Flynn can’t count the hours he’s spent at school committee meetings, legislative hearings, or bargaining sessions. But, as a lifelong educator and head of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP) for the past 14 years, Flynn wouldn’t take back a minute of the time he has spent working to support teachers and the work they do.

Now, he says, it is time to step back and relax — spend more time with his grandchildren and travel with his wife, Sharon.

Flynn, who started his career as a special education teacher in Cranston, recently announced his retirement as president of the RIFTHP.  “I’ve been blessed with a career I have loved,” Flynn, 70, said in an interview. “And I also have my wife, my children, and seven grandchildren who live nearby.  Now it’s time to spend more time with them.”

Flynn is also a national vice president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the Executive Committee of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO.

He said his interest in labor relations began shortly after he started his career in 1977.  Still a new teacher, he was elected as a building delegate for Cranston Teachers’ Alliance.

Flynn said that for him, the two roles allowed him to pursue his commitment to public education — both by working directly with students and also by advocating for his profession to help ensure that teachers are set up for success in their classrooms.

“I am proud that we have been able to work to get teachers the resources they need to allow them to do their jobs, “he said.

Flynn became president of the Cranston Teachers Alliance in 2003, and in 2010 was elected president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals.

He has bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from Rhode Island College, and also earned his master’s degree in special education there. 

Some of the specific issues the union has had to tackle may have changed over the years, Flynn said, but advocating for sufficient funding for public education remains key for teachers and the work they do.

He noted that while federal regulations stipulate how much school districts must spend on funding for programs for special education, there can be huge discrepancies on what individual states and local districts allocate for general education.  “A free and appropriate public education basically remains an unfunded mandate,” he said.

He said that good labor relations rely on keeping lines of communication open, no matter how difficult talks can be when two sides sit down at a bargaining table.

“One of the accomplishments I’m proudest of is that I always comported myself as a professional,” he said.  “I think being a good communicator can help prevent a lot of acrimony.”

In October, the United Way of Rhode Island honored Flynn with Dante F. Mollo Labor United Award.  The organization said the award recognizes the strong partnership between the labor community and the United Way. In announcing Flynn as an award recipient, the nonprofit organization stated, “Known as a strong and fair leader who fights for and protects the rights of others, Frank is widely respected and trusted by the education community, his peers, and his union family for always bettering his community.”

Flynn said he looks back as his work as a labor leader with pride and with great respect for those he has represented. “I couldn’t be prouder than to have worked for my union,” he said.  “Every day, our teachers spend their time and resources to improve the lives of their students. It is often under-recognized, and we have worked to open people’s eyes as to what our public teachers do.”

Flynn is succeeded as RIFTHP President by Maribeth Calabro, head of the Providence Teachers Union and a special education teacher for the past 28 years.