Last Night At School Committee

Last night was a short meeting, and it began with three unanimous votes: one to approve athletics association membership for several Boston high schools, one to approve $11 million in grants, and one to approve a contract for incoming Superintendent Mary Skipper . Superintendent Skipper’s contract includes a start date of September 26, an annual salary of $300,000, and a new clause allowing for mu...

What happens at each Boston School Committee meeting has big implications for our students and our city. In “Last Night @ School Committee,” Jill Shah and Ross Wilson recap the highlights of each meeting, provide commentary and context, and shine a light on the decisions our leaders are making. Last night was a short meeting and the first featuring Acting Superintendent Drew Echelson. Chair Jeri R...

Last night was a big night for Boston Public Schools, culminating in the selection of Somerville Superintendent Mary Skipper as the next Superintendent of Boston Public Schools . The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, which included a discussion of the agreement reached earlier this week between BPS and the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to avert a takeo...

Last night’s meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, which included data on summer program enrollment and a preview of a report coming next week on federal ESSER relief money spending. Notably, the report did not include an update on negotiations with the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education over their audit of BPS, but when questioned on this, the Superintendent noted th...

What happens at each Boston School Committee meeting has big implications for our students and our city. In “Last Night @ School Committee,” Jill Shah and Ross Wilson recap the highlights of each meeting, provide commentary and context, and shine a light on the decisions our leaders are making. Last night’s meeting began with an update on the superintendent search timeline filled with uncertain da...

What happens at each Boston School Committee meeting has big implications for our students and our city. In “Last Night @ School Committee,” Jill Shah and Ross Wilson recap the highlights of each meeting, provide commentary and context, and shine a light on the decisions our leaders are making. Last night’s meeting began with a discussion of the highly critical state review of Boston Public School...

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS.    What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s...

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS.    What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s...

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS.    What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s...

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS.    What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s...

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS.    What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s...

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS.    What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s...

The City of Boston has a new mayor, and Mayor Wu and her appointed school committee have begun a search for a new Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Boston has had 6 superintendents in 16 years - three of whom served Interim roles - and all who worked tirelessly on behalf of students, families and staff to improve aspects of BPS.  What type of leader does BPS need now? What are the city’s pr...

Last night’s meeting began with an update on the investigation that has been ongoing at the Mission Hill School. After a year long investigation by the law firm Hinckley Allen , the firm found that– as detailed by the Boston Globe – that “the school endangered and failed children for years by overlooking allegations of sexual abuse and bullying and neglecting students with disabilities”. This is t...

At last night’s meeting, the School Committee heard reports on the Superintendent search, new school buildings and transportation contracts. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, in which the Superintendent covered school safety, masking in schools, enrollment and school choice updates that included new data on family choice, and the ongoing State review of Boston Public Schools. The...

Last night’s meeting concluded the months-long process of approving the $1.3 billion budget for the next school year. After numerous public listening sessions as well as feedback from the School Committee, the Superintendent and her team brought the budget for a vote. This budget vote also coincides with the recent news that the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will b...

Last night’s meeting marked two years since schools closed due to the pandemic, and it came in the face of mounting uncertainty from families across the district about the future of their students’ education . Prior to the meeting, BPS leaders announced temporary measures to assuage the concerns of the P.A. Shaw Elementary School community about the lack of promised grade expansions and of the Bos...

Last night was a short, special meeting specifically dedicated to providing an update on the superintendent search process. The meeting covered four main topics: approval of the separation agreement for Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, discussion and approval of a search committee for the new superintendent, outline of the timeline for that search over the next four months , and authorization of...

Last night’s meeting was the first School Committee meeting since the announcement that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will be resigning from her position. Cassellius, who began in July 2019, announced in a press conference with Mayor Michelle Wu that she will step down at the end of the school year, and Mayor Wu expressed her commitment to hiring a new superintendent by June. The meeting began...

Last night’s meeting kicked off the Fiscal Year 2023 budget process for Boston Public Schools. Over the coming weeks, there will be public hearings on the draft budget proposal unveiled last night, culminating in a vote in March by the School Committee and subsequent consideration by the City Council and Mayor Wu. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, where the Superintendent address...

Last night’s meeting began with the introduction of the newest School Committee member, Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, to round out the seven-member committee . A former advisor to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Cardet-Hernandez is currently the Executive Director of the Ivy Street School, a private program serving students with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other learning disabilities. Cardet-Hernan...

Last night was the first Boston School Committee meeting of 2022, and it began with the introduction of a new School Committee member, Dr. Stephen Alkins, who is a Boston parent, a scientist, and a leader in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). Dr. Hardin Coleman and Ernani DeAraujo are no longer on the committee, and there is one open seat for Mayor Wu to fill. The Superintendent’s...

Last night’s meeting began with the announcement that two current Committee members, Hardin Coleman and Ernani DeAraujo, would not be seeking reappointment to the School Committee after their term ends. After this announcement, the Superintendent provided a brief Superintendent’s Report that touched on a few subjects, including COVID-19 testing updates and an experiential learning competition, whe...

Last night’s meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, in which she discussed Acceleration Academies, ELL services, ESSER funding, and a reversal on which elementary schools will be getting a sixth grade. There was a lot of new information during this report but few follow-up questions from members of the School Committee seeking clarity. These topics were also brought up during public comme...

The School Committee reconvened last night after a two week period in which Boston Public Schools has been featured prominently in the news. This includes i ssues regarding COVID-19 testing and outbreaks , calls for reforms to the new exam school policy, and inadequate staffing - particularly for our English Language Learners and to support the mental health of our students and staff . Reference w...