Last Night At School Committee: Recent Episodes
Shah Family Foundation
Last night's School Committee meeting kicked off with some key updates from Superintendent Skipper. She started off by breaking down the district’s plan to cut around 568 positions. She explained this is a direct response to losing roughly 3,000 students over the last two years, though she promised a steady 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio would remain. The Superintendent also touched on summer programming across the district, including the statistic that thousands of students are enrolled in credit recovery, which she framed as a positive sign for students, even though this would mean that more students are failing courses. Skipper also announced that Boston is joining the massive nationwide lawsuit targeting tech giants like Meta, TikTok, and other corporations for harming kids' mental health through social media. During public comment, the only two speakers of the night called out the district for withholding promised exam school outcome data and demanding clear, measurable goals to track student success. Later on, the Committee conducted a marathon voting session, voting on and approving 19 items! These include collective bargaining agreements, grants, private school applications, evaluations, and appointments.
The district's changing infrastructure and facilities footprint dominated the rest of the night. Chief of Capital Planning, Delavern Stanislaus, noted that the district aims to downsize from its original 114 schools to an even 100 by the end of the 2026–2027 school year, with a final target of 95 schools by 2030.
While the Committee formally voted on and approved the Superintendent's evaluation for the past year, we decided to conduct our own evaluation of the evaluation using available data. Relying on key data points, we wanted to offer further context regarding the progress, or lack thereof, throughout the district.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s Boston School Committee meeting covered a wide range of issues, beginning with Superintendent Mary Skipper’s report on the district’s ongoing budget concerns, staffing updates, teacher diversity, as well as the implementation of a new cell phone policy. While district leaders highlighted student achievements and positive developments across Boston Public Schools, the public comment period created an emotional reaction focused on proposed changes to the Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) program. Teachers, advocates, and families passionately defended the program, emphasizing its critical role in supporting English learners whose formal education has been interrupted by circumstances such as displacement or political instability. Speakers argued that reducing SLIFE services would disproportionately impact some of the district’s most vulnerable students and raised broader concerns about whether budget pressures are beginning to undermine the exact programs designed to close achievement gaps. Additional testimony focused on challenges families face navigating special education placements and accessing appropriate supports for students with disabilities.
The Committee later unanimously approved several routine measures, including grants, donations, and other financial governance documents. The Committee members then unanimously approved a new district Artificial Intelligence policy, and an updated Opportunity and Achievement Gap Policy aimed at advancing academic excellence and improving student outcomes. Members also heard a powerful presentation from the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpedPAC), whose leaders stressed the urgency of improving inclusion, accountability, and communication with families of students with disabilities. SpedPAC emphasized that while systemic change takes time, students experience educational opportunities in real time, making delays in services, staffing, transportation, and interventions especially consequential. The meeting concluded with a review of Superintendent Skipper’s annual evaluation, where she received an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, placing her in the “Proficient” category. Committee members praised progress in instructional leadership and district operations while identifying family and community engagement and stronger use of measurable performance data as key areas for growth. Budget overruns and ongoing fiscal challenges were also central themes in the evaluation discussion, underscoring the difficult balancing act facing district leadership heading into the next school year.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s Boston School Committee meeting was straightforward and relatively mundane, highlights of the evening included conversations about transportation, budgeting, and the district’s effort to prepare for the rapid growth of artificial intelligence in schools.
The evening began with a recognition ceremony honoring graduating seniors from the Boston Student Advisory Council. Superintendent Mary Skipper then spotlighted improvements in bus reliability, noting that morning on-time performance climbed from 85% in February to 94% in April, while afternoon performance increased from 81% to 89%. The Committee then approved more than $1.45 million in grants, including a major state rebate supporting the expansion of electric school buses. The district then submitted a request for an additional $22.8 million supplemental appropriation to balance the current fiscal year budget, with officials again pointing to rising health insurance costs, transportation expenses, and special education obligations as major drivers of the deficit.
The most forward-looking portion of the meeting came during the district’s presentation of its proposed artificial intelligence policy framework. District leaders described the proposal as a set of guardrails intended to promote ethical, safe, and responsible AI use while ensuring that human judgment remains central to education. Committee members raised questions about academic integrity, overreliance on technology, and the potential loss of foundational skills. The final version of the policy will be voted on and approved in July.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s School Committee meeting touched on a number of critical issues for BPS, including a vote on a policy amendment to MassCore, an ask for more money to fill a budget gap, an update on decade old policy surrounding opportunity and achievement gaps, a new strategic roadmap, as well as an an approval for a new MSBA statement of interest.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night was the first full meeting in a month after a series of budget hearings. The meeting covered three topics; vote on the 2026-2027 budget, update on MassCore and the annual discussion on school choice. We dig into each of these areas on our blog and on the podcast. We are also excited to unveil a new tool to help you better understand the BPS budget.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Earlier this month, we recorded a special conversation with Boston Globe reporter Christopher Huffaker. Huffaker is a reporter for “The Great Divide” - an investigative arm of the paper that analyzes and reports on educational inequities throughout the state.
Huffaker spoke to our team about a prominent issue we have covered at length on Last Night at School Committee: MassCore. The interview began with a conversation about AP scores around the Commonwealth, and whether the results indicate true success for the state. From there, Ross asked Huffaker to talk a bit more about his recent report that almost one-third of BPS seniors risk not graduating high school in June. In his analysis, Huffaker noted that MassCore, put forth by the state, is a logical benchmark for students to meet, as it aligns with requirements for entry to the Massachusetts college system. He also flagged that this new system, initially voted on in 2021, was really a situation that raised the standard for many students. As a result, while some students reached a new level of academic achievement, others were left without an opportunity to graduate.
Throughout the conversation, Ross and Huffaker touch on whether the district will vote to amend MassCore as a graduation standard at a future meeting, what “exemptions” may look like for students, and ways to ensure all students meet the completion of MassCore requirements
Be on the lookout for more from the Shah Foundation team later this month.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Wednesday evening, the district held a hearing focused on the Central Office budget. In their presentation, district leadership stated that they prioritized "student-facing" investments that directly supported schools. Highlights from the central office budget (https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1772555621/bostonpublicschoolsorg/ohke7hrux3oayndphpag/FY27BudgetPresentation-CentralBudgetProcess1.pdf) include an $86 million increase due to four main categories: health insurance, transportation expenses, special education, and collective bargaining. More specifically, transportation saw a year-over-year rise of 9%, and special education saw a significant jump of 22%. The district was able to find some operational efficiencies in the budget. For instance, they were able to reduce the number of staff at the central office, thus saving $11 million for FY 27. Nevertheless, there are significant financial outlays in the district’s budget that hamper the impact of these minimal savings.
During the public comment period of the hearing, there were 38 public speakers, many of whom were concerned about the impact of staffing cuts on student life and experience. School committee members then pushed the district to respond to questions about cuts to paraprofessional staffing levels, the enormous cost of transportation, and how student outcomes align with the budget. The budget process will continue with a final hearing on March 18, followed by a School Committee vote on March 25, before heading to the Boston City Council for final appropriation.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night, the district had a two-part meeting, beginning with a Budget Hearing for FY 2027 and then a short School Committee meeting. The budget hearing largely touched on many of the same financial themes we have heard from the district before, including transportation costs and collective bargaining expenses, while also highlighting some more granular fiscal challenges at the school level. School Committee members asked a number of questions about multilingual programming, cuts to personnel, and the connection between the FY 27 budget and the long-term facilities plan.
After a brief public comment period, the meeting moved on to a discussion of a new collective bargaining agreement between School Bus Monitors and the district. Notably, this new agreement requires BPS to ask Boston City Council for an extra $1 million this fiscal year to fund the contract. We will keep tabs on how the City Council reacts to this request as well as similar asks in the future.
Here at the Shah Foundation, we wanted to provide readers with an in-depth look at some of the budget issues for FY 2027. Our team has put together the below analysis, with further commentary and statistics at the link on the bottom of the page.
Budget and Staffing:
Boston Public Schools proposed a $1.71B budget for FY2027, a 4.5% increase over the current budget, and greater than 8% increase from the $1.58B budget initially passed for FY2026. The total employee headcount for BPS will drop to 10,496, down 5% or 531 positions from FY2026. Total enrollment for the 2026 school year is just 44,416 (46,547 including in-district charters), down more than 1,600 students from 2025 – the lowest enrollment on record. This 8.3% budget increase over last year’s adopted budget is the second largest increase since FY2019. Since that year, the budget has increased by 54%, and total staffing is more than 12% higher. Over the same period, enrollment dropped by 14%, and the total number of BPS schools receiving funding has decreased to 106, down from 124.
To read more interesting analysis about next year’s budget, click here.
What’s Next:
We are in the midst of the budget process - the next budget hearing will be held on March 4th! Stay tuned for more coverage. Be well!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night kicked off the FY 2027 budget season with an overview and a release of all the budget documents. The district’s preliminary FY27 budget proposal totals $1.71 billion, representing a $74 million increase over current spending. This increase comes even as BPS serves roughly 3,000 fewer students than last year, continuing a multi-year trend of declining enrollment. On a per-pupil basis, the district is now spending approximately $37,000 per student. What makes this especially concerning is that increased spending has not translated into improved outcomes. Only one-third of high school students are currently on track to meet BPS graduation standards, and proficiency in ELA MCAS for students in grades 3–8 has declined from 35% in 2019 to 29% in 2025. During that same period, the district added approximately 1,700 positions, raising fundamental questions about staffing growth, productivity, and accountability. Transportation costs illustrate this disconnect. The FY27 budget proposes an additional $11 million for transportation, bringing total spending on yellow buses to approximately $200 million annually, despite ongoing reports from families that buses remain unreliable and poorly coordinated.
Perhaps the most important exchange of the night came when Member Skerritt asked how the district could be confident that this budget would not lead to another fiscal crisis. District leaders touched on some new practices, including requiring schools to budget for benefits and eliminating positions rather than creating positions with the expectation that they remain unfilled. But that response only underscored the deeper concern: why were these safeguards not in place already?
What’s Next:
This is just the beginning of the budget process. Over the next six weeks, we will be covering the district’s budget presentation to the committees, at both school and district levels, to illustrate how BPS is navigating this challenging time. Be on the lookout for more information related to this budget cycle, as this is crucial for the future of the district.
The next meeting will be held next week on February 12th at 5:30 pm. Stay warm and stay tuned for more on the Boston School Committee!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Boston Public Schools (BPS) School Committee held its first meeting of 2026 this week, coming at a critical moment for the district with new committee members, the current $53 million budget deficit, as well as serious questions about inclusion and transparency.
Superintendent’s Report: Staffing, Closures, and Next Steps
Superintendent Mary Skipper began her report by addressing the district’s next steps following the recent vote on school closures. Superintendent Skipper stated that BPS has held meetings with school leaders to plan transitions, assigned senior project managers to each affected school, and started reviewing student-level data to provide targeted support. Additionally, Superintendent Skipper noted the focus is on student and family transitions, staff support, and community engagement.
Later in her report, Superintendent Skipper turned to one of the district’s most urgent challenges: a projected $53 million deficit in the current fiscal year. She attributed the shortfall primarily to rising health insurance costs, filling vacant positions, additional bus routes, food services, and out-of-district special education.
New Committee Members:
The Superintendent also acknowledged changes to the composition of the School Committee. Two new members, Lydia Torres and Franklin Peralta, joined the body, and Rachel Skerritt was named Vice Chair. The changes come alongside notable departures. Long-time member Michael O’Neill resigned after 17 years of service, and Brandon Cardet Hernandez was not reappointed despite applying for a second term.
Inclusive Education: Two Divergent Visions
The most contentious portion of the meeting came during a joint presentation on services for students with disabilities. Superintendent Skipper reaffirmed the district’s commitment to inclusive education as part of the now-concluded DESE Systemic Improvement Plan.
But Edith Bazile, Chair of the Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEdPAC), offered a starkly different assessment. She argued that BPS lacks a clear inclusion strategy, a defined timeline, and a dedicated budget. Instead of expanding successful inclusive models, she noted, the district is closing them, including nationally recognized programs like Henderson Upper School.
Ms. Bazile also raised concerns about access to data, particularly data needed to assess outcomes for students with disabilities. She highlighted autism as a racial and gender equity issue, noting that nearly 80% of students with autism in BPS are male and that Black and Latino students make up the majority of these students. Inclusion, she argued, must be measured by outcomes and the district has not provided sufficient data to evaluate its own practices. Notably, what was framed as a joint presentation often felt like a public debate, revealing deep misalignment between Kay Seale, Director of Special Education for BPS, and parent advocates. The contrast raised serious concerns about communication, trust, and whether the district’s vision for inclusion is shared.
Conversation with a Former Committee Member:
Lastly, we had the opportunity to speak with former School Committee member Brandon Cardet-Hernandez. Member Cardet-Hernandez spoke about the recent decision relating to the Madison Park rebuild, how failure of the district to adhere to MassCore requirements, as well as a number of other topics.
Here at the Shah Foundation, our team put together a deep-dive into both the renovation of Madison Park, the state of MassCore completion, and the aforementioned budget gap. To gain a clearer grasp of the district’s budget concerns, please click here. To learn more about Madison Park, please click here, and to better understand how students in BPS are handling MassCore, please click here.
The next meeting will be on February 4th at 5:30pm. We look forward to connecting with you then!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
At last night’s meeting, many important issues were discussed and decided. These included an important memo about enrollment decline, a school closure vote, and a budget update. Conversations between the Committee and district pointed to long-term issues for BPS.
The School Closure Vote:
The most anticipated item of the evening was the vote on school closures. Chair Robinson framed the decision as part of a broader strategy to improve academic outcomes, address underutilized facilities, and strengthen the district’s long-term sustainability. Superintendent Skipper emphasized declining enrollment, excess capacity, and the need to concentrate resources in fewer schools, referencing the district’s long-term facilities framework and enrollment projections as justification for the closures.
Committee members expressed significant unease ahead of the vote. Several members raised concerns about students who have already experienced multiple school transitions due to prior closures and questioned whether the district has tracked outcomes for those students. Others noted confusion around the district’s emphasis on facilities, particularly in cases where school buildings remain in usable condition. Members also highlighted broader systemic failures, including the absence of a clear, actionable long-term facilities plan and a history of delayed accountability.
Despite widespread concern, unresolved questions, and visible discomfort among several members, the Committee approved the school closure plan by a vote of six in favor and one opposed. The discussion made clear that some members viewed the vote as a necessary fiscal decision rather than an educational one, underscoring the tension between budget realities and student-centered outcomes.
A Financial Update:
The final presentation of the evening focused on the district’s financial outlook as budget season begins for the Committee. Superintendent Skipper described mounting fiscal pressures, including rising healthcare costs, collective bargaining agreements, transportation expenses, special education costs, and continued enrollment decline. District leadership also introduced the transition from weighted student funding to a new rules-based funding formula, intended to more equitably fund schools and provide greater transparency.
Chief Financial Officer David Bloom explained that the new funding model prioritizes required staffing and non-personnel costs before allocating remaining resources, marking a shift away from per-pupil funding. District leadership emphasized that transition support will be provided to schools over the next two years, as the shift occurs. Committee discussion highlighted the district’s nearly $150 million transportation budget, inefficiencies in service delivery, and parallels between rising healthcare and transportation costs. Members raised concerns about accountability and questioned whether longstanding inefficiencies are being meaningfully addressed.
Committee members also questioned the growth in support staff amid declining enrollment. District officials indicated that staffing reductions will largely affect classroom teachers and paraprofessionals, while attempting to preserve positions tied to inclusive education and student support services. Estimates suggest that several hundred positions may be eliminated as enrollment continues to fall and schools close, reinforcing concerns about the district’s long-term workforce planning.
A Closing Recognition and Looking Ahead:
The meeting concluded with the Committee honoring Vice Chair Michael O’Neill for his 17 years of service to the BPS and the City of Boston.
The next public meeting will be held virtually on January 21st, 2026 at 5:30pm. In the meantime, we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season filled with health, joy, and community. We will see you in the new year!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Introduction:
The meeting opened with an executive session to discuss a tentative agreement with the Boston Association of School Administrators and Supervisors (BASAS), which the Committee will vote on at its next meeting on December 17th. Additionally, the Committee recognized Taylor McCoy, an Inclusion Specialist at Mattahunt Elementary School, as the 2025 Shattuck Award recipient. Members celebrated her dedication as well as the work of countless educators who serve students every day.
Public Comment:
Public comment was emotional and dominated by strong opposition to the proposed school closures, including Another Course to College (ACC), the Community Academy of Science and Health (C.A.S.H.), the Henderson Inclusion School, and Lee Academy. There were 60 speakers scheduled to comment at the meeting, though the actual number of speakers was closer to 50. Students, parents, teachers, and community members emphasized the importance of each school community and the lack of clear transition plans for impacted students. Speakers also pointed to the contrast between the district’s update on inclusive practices and the forthcoming vote to close many schools with high-needs students. Additionally, in response to requests from the public, Committee Members Skarrett and Cardet-Hernandez requested that the district present detailed transition plans for students.
For the fourth meeting in a row, public speakers also raised concerns about the lack of citywide bilingual education programming and urged the district to expand multilingual learner support. The district released a memo to the public about proposed expansion prior to the meeting. Notably, the findings from the district underscored the cost of transportation for students as a major challenge in developing citywide programming. In a separate memo released earlier in the day, the district announced that a system-wide cell phone policy will be released in 2026. We will continue to monitor how this situation plays out.
Inclusive Education Plan Update:
The only report of the evening focused on the district’s progress toward implementing inclusive education. Superintendent Skipper framed the update as a continuation of the district’s 2022 strategy to move all schools toward inclusive classroom models. BPS previously submitted its Inclusive Education Plan to DESE in October 2023 as part of the Systemic Improvement Plan. District staff described improvements over the past three years and highlighted tools and practices they believe are beginning to show positive student outcomes.
Committee members raised multiple concerns about implementation, clarity, and outcomes. Member Cardet-Hernandez questioned why some schools’ student populations still do not reflect district demographics and pushed the district on protections against over-identification of Black boys and multilingual learners for substantially separate placements. District staff acknowledged ongoing concerns, noting that although the rate of substantially separate placements has decreased to 30.7%, it remains unacceptable.
Member Alkins asked directly about the challenges the district still faces in implementing inclusive practices. The response focused on professional development and cross-functional collaboration rather than on student outcomes or systemwide effectiveness. Member Skerrett pressed for clear benchmarks and targets to measure whether inclusion efforts are actually improving student progress. The presentation offered few concrete indicators, raising lingering questions about outcomes as well as how the district will measure success during upcoming budget discussions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last Night at School Committee - November 19th, 2025:
Here’s what happened Last Night at the Boston School Committee meeting.
Superintendent’s Report:
The Superintendent began with updates on transportation and enrollment, noting that the district has seen record-high transportation performance this fall. Morning on-time performance has reached 95% or higher on nine separate days, a remarkable increase given that in past years BPS only hit that mark twice during the first 45 days of school. Member Cardet-Hernandez, however, inquired about the headline the Superintendent avoided mentioning: the recent bribery and kickback scheme involving a Transdev employee, and the long-standing oversight failures that allowed uncertified drivers and other safety lapses to occur. The Superintendent stated that the latest transportation contract includes stronger accountability provisions, but did not elaborate on what those measures look like.
The Superintendent then shifted to enrollment, reporting that the district currently serves 46,824 students, an astonishing drop of 1,700 students from this time last year. She attributed the decline to reduced international immigration, fewer children being born in Boston, and smaller cohorts moving through the system. Vice Chair O’Neill followed with questions about how this compares to projections, how much revenue depends on enrollment, and what the district expects for next year. In response, CFO David Bloom explained that Boston’s budget is largely insulated from enrollment declines because city appropriations are not tied to student count. Instead, the budget is tied to local taxes. Moreover, supplemental state and federal grants are based on prior-year enrollment, so the shifts will not have any impact on this coming year.
The Long-Term Facilities Plan:
The main report of the evening was the long-term facilities plan. Superintendent Skipper framed the work as an effort to align buildings with a shared definition of a high-quality student experience. She asserted the vision is one informed by thousands of surveys, listening sessions, and community engagements. Superintendent Skipper also emphasized that decades of deferred maintenance and sharply declining enrollment have made this planning unavoidable.
Chief of Capital Planning Delavern Stanislaus then presented an in-depth review of the district’s proposed school closures, mergers, and reconfigurations. The plan includes closing Lee Academy Pilot School, Another Course to College (ACC), and the Community Academy of Science and Health (CASH); restructuring the Henderson School into a unified PreK–8 program; and reconfiguring both Tobin and Russell into PreK–6 schools. Stanislaus also previewed a broader arc of closures, noting that by 2030, the district anticipates approximately eight additional elementary schools and six high schools will ultimately close
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s Boston School Committee meeting was filled with votes on various topics crucial to the future of the district, including an adjustment to the Exam School Admissions Policy as well the Competency Determination for the Classes of 2026 and 2027. Here’s what happened:
Superintendent’s Update: Food Security for Students
Superintendent Mary Skipper opened with how the district is responding to the federal pause on SNAP benefits. She emphasized that all students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch at BPS sites, and highlighted ongoing school-based food drives and a centralized drive at the Bolling Building.
OAG Task Force Membership Proposal:
The Committee reviewed and advanced a new group of members for the Opportunity & Achievement Gaps (OAG) Task Force, which advises and holds the district accountable for a shared plan to close gaps. The updated slate of members were unanimously approved by the Committee later in the evening.
Public Comment: Exam Schools, AI, and Dual Language:
There were 32 speakers during the public comment period, and many addressed the pending exam school admissions vote, but the night also featured a notable student call for a formal district AI framework, including teacher training and certification for responsible use. Additionally, a number of speakers, once again, urged expansion of dual-language programs, echoing similar requests from last week. It will be interesting to monitor whether the Committee moves forward with this request due to the high volume of testimony.
Adjusted Exam School Admissions Policy:
In a long-awaited vote, last night was the culmination of months of testimony, presentations, and discussion regarding a change to the Exam School Admissions policy. Superintendent Skipper framed the proposal as a compromise of keeping the benefits of the old system while tweaking other aspects. The recommendation preserves the socioeconomic tier structure while adding a citywide pathway for top-scoring students. In speaking about the decision, Member Stephen Alkins urged deeper equity analysis and simulations to surface nuance for marginalized populations who comprise the district’s majority. Member Rachel Skerritt stressed the core issue in the district: across BPS, there are not enough students meeting grade-level standards in ELA and math to fill the ~1,000 seventh-grade exam school seats.
The adjusted policy passed the committee, with 4 members in favor and 2 members opposed (with one member absent).
Secondary Schools/Competency Determination:
After the exam school vote, the Committee then considered three more votes:
- Chapter 74 (CTE) Admissions Policy for five high schools (Madison Park, English High, Boston Arts Academy, Boston Green Academy, and EMK).
- Middle School Career Exploration policy to better inform students about CTE pathways earlier.
- Updated Competency Determination (CD) policy aligned to DESE’s summer 2025 changes (the Committee had approved a BPS CD framework in June 2025; this update brings it into compliance with DESE’s revisions).
Member Skerritt sought clarity on what Competency Determination now means for the Classes of 2026 and 2027 versus graduation requirements. She emphasized that the competency determination is a temporary substitute for grade-10 MCAS as a graduation gate and does not equal a diploma. Instead, it’s merely one eligibility condition alongside MassCore and successful completion of four years of study.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s Boston School Committee meeting covered declining enrollment, the Superintendent’s contract and an update on transformation schools.
Enrollment and Graduation Rates:
Member Brandon Cardet-Hernandez raised two key questions about district trends, enrollment and graduation rates, both of which have been ongoing areas of concern.
Superintendent Skipper confirmed that enrollment is declining across the district, particularly among “newcomer” students, whose numbers are “roughly half” of what they were last year. She explained that while BPS is working to support families, several upcoming cohorts will be smaller, a trend driven by both post-COVID demographic shifts and broader declines in birth rates. The Superintendent also noted that a more complete enrollment report will be presented in November. As for graduation rates, Skipper said that while internal numbers suggest an increase in June graduations and a “robust summer cohort,” final figures will not be available until the state releases official data later in the school year.
Public Comment and the Upcoming Exam School Vote:
33 speakers addressed the Committee during public comment, with many focused on the exam school admissions policy. The upcoming vote on this issue will take place next week, and the evening featured impassioned arguments on both sides of the debate, some defending the current system with others pushing for policy shifts. In addition to the exam school discussion, quite a few speakers advocated for increasing access to dual-language programming.
Superintendent’s Contract Discussion:
The Committee then voted to approve several grants before turning to a discussion of Superintendent Skipper’s new contract. In framing the conversation, Superintendent Skipper spoke passionately about her commitment to Boston and the mission of BPS. Absent in the discussion was a lack of benchmarks or goals tied to Skipper’s renewal. Member Cardet-Hernandez echoed this sentiment, and he called for a more calibrated and evidence-based evaluation process.
Transformation Schools Accountability Update:
The Committee then heard an update on Transformation Schools, schools identified by the state as requiring targeted intervention. Superintendent Skipper noted that while there are “signs of progress,” persistent challenges remain, including low student achievement and chronic absenteeism. She highlighted that for the third consecutive year, more schools improved their accountability percentile than declined, with 18 schools improving and eight remaining steady.
Member Cardet-Hernandez called the presentation both encouraging and sobering, noting that despite incremental gains, roughly one-third of BPS schools remain in transformation status, serving the highest concentrations of Black, Latino, low-income, multilingual, and special education students.
State of the Schools Address:
Special guest, Greg Maynard, from the Boston Policy Institute discussed the first ever State of the Schools address from Mayor Michelle Wu. While the Mayor touted new bilingual education, an increase of air conditioning units, and improvement on transportation times, there were a number of more thorny issues that the Mayor avoided.
The speech stopped short of confronting the district’s most pressing challenges. For instance, while Mayor Wu cited examples of students taking advanced coursework, her discussion of overall academic performance was minimal. Mayor Wu did not address Boston Public Schools’ recently released MCAS results, which remain far below pre-pandemic levels.
Finally, on transportation, Wu noted that 96% of school buses arrived on time yesterday but did not address the district’s long-term failure to meet the standards required under the 2022 Systemic Improvement Plan (SIP), which set a monthly 95% on-time goal.
To read the full speech, please click here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s School Committee meeting was a special meeting with only one agenda item: Superintendent Skipper’s self-evaluation of her performance over the past school year. Superintendent Skipper framed her evaluation in four standards: instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture. For each standard, the Superintendent provided a list of areas in which she felt BPS made progress over the past year but did not provide baseline data or measurable goals. This led to numerous questions from School Committee members seeking to understand how these areas relate to one another and the district’s goals within each of these areas for the year ahead. The report did not touch on student achievement data or goals to improve student outcomes, leading Chair Jeri Robinson to ask how these achievements will be tangible to the many students who still go to failing schools each day.
Chair Robinson concluded the meeting by announcing that, over the coming weeks, each School Committee member will write their own evaluation of Superintendent Skipper, and these evaluations will be presented at the next meeting on Wednesday, August 30. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night was the last School Committee meeting of this academic year, and it was an unusual one. There were no reports on the agenda (other than the Superintendent’s Report), and the meeting came in the wake of multiple controversies in the BPS community.
The meeting began with an update from Chair Jeri Robinson on the new admissions policy for Madison Park proposed last month. Chair Robinson shared that this policy created unintentional barriers for students, and that BPS will be reconsidering the policy and coming forth with a new recommendation in the fall. Next, School Committee member Lorena Lopera announced that she will be stepping down from her position after this meeting in order to take a new job and spend more time with her family.
The meeting continued with the Superintendent’s Report, which began with an acknowledgement of the recent news story concerning an adult woman who fraudulently impersonated a student at three separate BPS schools over the past year. Superintendent Skipper did not provide any further information about this fraud but said the Boston Police Department is investigating the matter. She then provided an update on BPS summer learning opportunities, sharing that enrollment data exceeded the goals set for this year with over a thousand more spaces filled than last year. After a short discussion of MassCore and a recap of accomplishments from the past year, the remainder of the Superintendent’s Report was devoted to a state-mandated update on transformation schools. This report contained only a brief mention of attendance trends among the 30 transformation schools and did not delve into any further data on performance or outcomes. School Committee members expressed frustration at the lack of content in this update, pointing out the stark contrast to the hours spent discussing the three exam schools. Members also raised the recent Boston Globe article about disparities among BPS high schools and pressed for the Superintendent and her team to develop a resource for parents that outlines the academic and extracurricular offerings at every school (similar to what was included in the Globe story).
The majority of the meeting was devoted to public comment, in which dozens of commenters testified against moving the O’Bryant School to West Roxbury, and others expressed their opinions on the personnel controversy at BLA. The lack of information about the O’Bryant announcement was a consistent theme throughout the meeting, and the meeting ended with a plea from the Committee for a more defined and robust public engagement strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting began with a discussion of a big announcement made the previous day by Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper regarding changes to several BPS high schools. On Tuesday, these leaders announced a vision that included relocating the O’Bryant School to the vacant West Roxbury Education Complex in a new, state-of-the-art facility and expanding the Madison Park School to fill the space vacated by the O’Bryant, allowing Madison Park to double its enrollment. Superintendent Skipper reiterated this vision in last night’s meeting, and members asked about timeline, budget, and public engagement, noting that members of these communities and School Committee members themselves were not briefed prior to this announcement. The Superintendent’s team shared that this work will not begin until 2025 and that a more comprehensive plan will be presented at a later date.
The meeting moved on to public comment, where 61 speakers signed up to testify. The majority of comments were from teachers and community members asking the School Committee to support a comprehensive ethnic studies curriculum in the district (School Committee Chair Robinson later noted that she has not seen any written materials on this and requested that these materials be made available prior to the next meeting). Additional testimony was given on four other topics. Many parents testified about Boston Latin Academy Head of School Gavin Smith, whom the Superintendent noted has been the target of complaints from the school community. Others testified about the O’Bryant School announcement, with teachers at the school expressing frustration about not being consulted in the decision. Several parents from the Shaw School spoke about their dissatisfaction with the ongoing merger with the Taylor School, despite the fact that this merger was approved by the Committee last meeting. And several parents and students testified in favor of amending the current exam school policy by changing the allocation of bonus points, adjusting the number of invitations in proportion to the number of applicants per socioeconomic tier, and adding more overall exam school seats, in order to solve for the many qualified students denied a seat under the new admissions protocol.
This was the focus of the remainder of the meeting, beginning with a presentation from BPS on data from the recent exam school admissions cycle. The report recapped the reasons for the adoption of the new policy and demonstrated that the policy did succeed in expanding exam school access to a broader array of BPS schools and neighborhoods. At the same time, the data showed that exam school admission was determined primarily by the socioeconomic tier in which a student was placed, with all students in lower tiers accepted compared to less than half of students in higher tiers. Similarly, students in lower tiers were accepted with a composite score as low as 64.8/100, while students in higher tiers were rejected with near-perfect (or, in one case, perfect) scores. Parents have repeatedly testified at School Committee about flaws in the setup of these tiers, with same streets divided into two tiers and vast income disparities within single tiers. Last night, members pressed for reconsidering certain elements of this policy – including awarding bonus points on an individual rather than a schoolwide basis – and for expanding seats so that every eligible student can be awarded an exam school seat, but BPS leaders held firm that they would not consider any changes to this policy for at least five years.
The next School Committee meeting will take place Wednesday, June 21 at 5pm on Zoom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, the majority of which focused on transportation. The Superintendent reported that on-time arrivals for morning buses increased to 89% in November, up from 88% the previous month. School Committee members asked questions about how many students are actually impacted by these delays and how students are being tracked, and district leaders were unable to provide this information. There were two reports presented to the School Committee. The first was a report on special education in the district, which was given by the Council of Great City Schools in response to a requirement in the State-mandated improvement plan. The report echoed prior reports on this issue and underlined significant gaps in the success of special education students in BPS. School Committee members highlighted the need to address these issues immediately and discussed moving toward fully-inclusive schools, but the report did not include goals, targets, or timelines for addressing these much-needed reforms. The last report of the evening was an update on the collective bargaining agreements with the cafeteria workers and bus monitors unions, which featured increased pay and other clauses aimed at driving interest in these key positions that still face hundreds of vacancies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, in which Superintendent Skipper covered student safety, transportation, absenteeism, and teacher diversity. The Superintendent highlighted the impact of social media on student behavior, noting that tense online conversations often spill into in-person interactions and calling on everyone to come together to help students re-engage with one another productively. She discussed continued disruptions to transportation, an issue brought up again last night during public comment, but did not provide updated numbers regarding on-time performance. Superintendent Skipper also noted that student absentee levels are as high as 28% so far this year, consistent with previous years but concerning nonetheless.
Following public comment, there were two presentations made to the School Committee. The first was a presentation from the Superintendent’s team on Transformation Schools, which are some of the lowest performing schools in the district and are labeled by the State as needing intervention. The Superintendent’s team discussed the current status of the 28 transformation schools and highlighted two schools that have improved test scores. However, the presentation lacked clarity on what action steps will be taken to improve outcomes across the district, especially given critical disparities in student performance at different schools, as shown in this tool from the Boston Schools Fund.
These issues were echoed in the last report of the evening: the annual BPS hiring and workforce diversity report. The report provided updates on the 800 vacancies in the district and a breakdown of the district staff’s racial diversity as it relates to the requirements of the 1974 order by Judge Garrity. Still, the report left key questions unanswered about how the district plans to fill these vacancies and whether the district staff is truly representative of the students they serve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting was four hours long, with the School Committee hearing only one presentation after deciding to delay their report on hiring and diversity to next week’s meeting. The Superintendent began with her report with updates on enrollment, transportation, and test scores. Superintendent Skipper informed the Committee that, as of this month, there are 48,734 students enrolled in the district, representing a steep decline over the past decade. She then addressed ongoing transportation concerns, acknowledging that the district is not meeting its state mandate of 95% on-time arrival. Superintendent Skipper also noted that her team is working to address concerns and complaints that were filed by two advocacy groups on behalf of students with individualized educational plans (IEPs) who are not arriving to school on-time. She concluded her report by addressing the recent results of the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) in Boston, which showed steeper declines in performance than indicated by the recent MCAS data.
The only presentation of the night was an update on the BPS “Green New Deal.” Announced last year by Mayor Wu, the “Green New Deal” is a vision for improving BPS infrastructure and building modern, climate-resilient facilities. However, last night’s presentation did not go into detail beyond that vision and left many unanswered questions about the possibility of future school closures and mergers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting was Mary Skipper’s second as superintendent, and it began with a solemn acknowledgement of recent incidents of violence in the BPS community. Superintendent Skipper continued her report with an update on transportation, in which she discussed continued disruptions for families due to uncovered routes and insufficient bus monitors. The Superintendent next presented data on student absenteeism, which has increased over the last three years, and School Committee members pressed for further detail on this data.
There were two reports presented to the School Committee last night, the first of which was a report on the past year’s MCAS results. The results showed that, while BPS is trending slightly better than the state and other urban districts, achievement gaps persist among certain student groups. There was no discussion about trends at the school level, nor did the School Committee hear from teachers or school leaders to understand what is working. The last report of the night was a presentation of a strategic plan for the Office of Multilingual and Multicultural Education. The report outlined an ambitious goal of providing multilingual education to every student for whom English is not their primary language, but it lacked clarity on strategies or action steps for achieving this vision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting was Mary Skipper’s first as BPS Superintendent. The School Committee welcomed Superintendent Skipper back to the district and also introduced and welcomed new student representative Diego Mehta. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, in which Superintendent Skipper discussed her vision for “getting back to basics” on transportation, attendance, school food, and student safety. She acknowledged the continued frustrations felt by families facing bus delays and uncovered routes – a topic raised multiple times during public comment – and committed to addressing these issues.
The meeting continued with unanimous votes to approve a new contract with the Boston Teachers Union as well as an additional one-year appropriation from the City to cover the added costs of the new contract. Questions were raised by School Committee members both about the strategy driving this new contract and about how these costs will be covered in future years. The meeting concluded with an update on the Mission Hill School investigation, involving publication of the long-awaited third report into the failures of school leaders and Central Office staff to protect student safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting was the first meeting since the start of school and the last for Dr. Drew Echelson as Acting Superintendent before Mary Skipper starts on September 26. The meeting began with Chair Jeri Robinson announcing that a report on the Mission Hill School would be postponed to the next meeting. Although there was no presentation during the meeting, the Boston Globe reported yesterday that the district is preparing for two federal lawsuits in response to the findings from this investigation.
The rest of the meeting featured discussions on transportation, special education, school safety, and teacher vacancies. Dr. Echelson and his team spoke optimistically about the district’s work in these areas while downplaying key issues that have been publicly raised by community members, the press, and even the School Committee members themselves. Members were left without answers as to how the district will address uncovered bus routes, the plan to fill hundreds of remaining vacancies in schools, where those vacancies are concentrated, and what the district is doing to proactively prevent safety incidents. Later in the meeting, members heard a report on a new bargaining agreement with the Boston Teachers Union. However, when prompted with questions about specific details of the agreement, there was a lack of clarity in implementation and implications for students and schools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last night’s meeting was the last School Committee meeting of the summer – the last meeting before students go back to school next week. However, for the second time in a row, there was no quorum. For much of the meeting, there was only one other member besides the Chair. The official meeting lasted just fifteen minutes, with a quorum of members voting on a few action items before continuing to other agenda items that did not require a quorum.
The majority of the meeting was spent discussing back-to-school updates for students, families and community members. As the district prepares for students to return to school, Acting Superintendent Drew Echelson and his team discussed transportation, staff vacancies, COVID-19 safety and more. With the continued shutdown of the Orange Line, Dr. Echelson emphasized that students would not be penalized for being late due to transportation issues and mentioned alternative transportation options for students, including free access to the Commuter Rail and additional bus routes. He also shared that the district is still facing 400 key vacancies in advance of reopening next week, more than half of which are educators as well as key roles like safety officers and bus monitors. With the majority of the Committee absent for these presentations, there were few questions and the meeting was adjourned.
School begins next Thursday, September 8 for students in grades 1-12, and Monday, September 12 for students in pre-k and kindergarten. The next School Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 14. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 mutual separation in light of recent turnover at the superintendent position. The details of this clause will be shared at a later date when the full contract is made public. School Committee members applauded the contract and noted that the salary is aligned with other recent prominent hires the City has made for the positions of Police Commissioner and Fire Commissioner. Following these votes, the meeting continued with the Acting Superintendent’s Report, in which Dr. Echelson discussed preparedness efforts for the start of school in just a few weeks, the district’s work to address school transportation in light of the MBTA’s recent Orange Line closure, and COVID-19 safety protocols for the new school year. After a brief public comment period, the meeting concluded with a presentation on BPS’ work to meet the August 15 deadlines in its improvement agreement with the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), noting that it is on track to meet all nine of the process-oriented mandates required by Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 Robinson began by noting that discussions are still underway regarding contracts for Dr. Echelson and new superintendent Mary Skipper, and that more information will be shared at a future meeting. Dr. Echelson next shared his Acting Superintendent’s Report, which included an update on how the district is preparing for the mandates laid out in its agreement with the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in areas including transportation, special education, and more. He announced that he will be creating several new positions within the Central Office, including the promotion of the current Senior Executive Director of Data and Accountability to the newly-created position of Assistant Superintendent of Data, Strategy, and Implementation. The meeting continued with just eight public comments, followed by unanimous votes approving charter renewals for three Horace Mann Charter Schools and athletics association membership for eight Boston schools. The meeting concluded with a free-flowing discussion of School Committee processes and procedures – a discussion that did not reach a clear resolution on reforms or next steps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 takeover. The agreement includes key provisions for students and families, including a redesign of special education and ELL services, a guarantee of at least 95% on-time bus arrival, and a new data auditor appointed by the State who will have full access to BPS data. Superintendent Cassellius also discussed the report on the Mission Hill investigation, which she said would be released in the coming weeks despite a deadline of June 30, and she shared that the “Green New Deal” for BPS facilities would be beginning its 18-month development process. In response to a question about what environmental targets are being set that make this initiative “green,” the Superintendent shared that the third-party vendor the district will hire to oversee this plan will make those determinations. After a public comment period in which dozens of community members shared their preference for who should be the next superintendent, the meeting moved on to two votes. The first vote was to appoint Dr. Drew Echelson as Acting Superintendent. Despite an objection to the 11th-hour nature of this vote – just one day before Superintendent Cassellius’ last day – Dr. Echelson was approved unanimously. The main event last night was a discussion and vote on the next permanent superintendent of BPS. Each School Committee member discussed the merits of the candidates and the reasoning behind their choice, with the ultimate result being a close 4-3 vote in favor of Mary Skipper over Dr. Tommy Welch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 that negotiations are ongoing and an update will be shared next week.
The meeting continued with an update on the superintendent search, in which Search Committee Co-Chair Pam Eddinger shared that two of the four finalists recently withdrew from consideration, resulting in the announcement of Mary Skipper and Dr. Tommy Welch as the two finalists. The reasons for these withdrawals were not given, and members of the School Committee expressed disappointment with the outcome of this process but pledged to continue forward.
Following a public comment period with numerous comments about the merger of the Russell and Clap Elementary Schools, there was a vote to approve two side letters of agreement with the bus drivers union that School Committee members were told were integral to approval of a new contract. These letters were unanimously approved. The meeting concluded with a report on the new exam school policy that was lacking in key data, as well as reports from Horace Mann Charter School leaders seeking renewals.
Public interviews for Mary Skipper and Tommy Welch will be held on Thursday and Friday, respectively, with a vote by the School Committee during their next meeting on Wednesday, June 29. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 dates and unclear processes. Chair Jeri Robinson announced that two or three finalists will be announced next week or the week after, there will be public interviews with the finalists likely the week of the June 20th with specific dates and times to come later, and there may or may not be an interim superintendent that may or may not need to be approved by the School Committee. The meeting continued with the Superintendent’s Report, in which Superintendent Cassellius announced that she will be lifting the mask mandate for the final two weeks of school, celebrated the passage of the BPS budget by the Boston City Council, and lauded the “Green New Deal” for school facilities. While there was no discussion of what environmental initiatives would be a part of this effort, it was announced that another BPS building audit would take place over the next year – more than halfway through the current BuildBPS process – and that the plan includes mergers of at least six schools into three. Next, the School Committee approved a new bus drivers contract without any public discussion or disclosure of the contract, and the Committee approved renewals for five BPS innovation schools. The next School Committee meeting is currently scheduled for Wednesday, June 22 at 5pm, although it was announced last night that this may be moved based on the superintendent interview timeline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 Schools, coming on the heels of a State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) hearing on the state report on Tuesday. District leaders highlighted the positives in the report while downplaying the criticisms. The Superintendent’s report last night also included discussion of BPS school safety measures, a new food contract with City Fresh, a bus drivers agreement, and the announcement of a Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools – positive developments awaiting further detail. The meeting continued with an interesting conversation about what role the School Committee is meant to play in the state receivership discussions, and then a public comment period with heartbreaking testimony about the damning state report and the ways in which BPS has failed students with disabilities. The meeting concluded with votes to refrain from joining the Massachusetts School Choice Plan and to reduce the number of school days at UP Academy from 185 to 180. Finally, we heard an update on the superintendent search process, which noted that approximately 8 of the 34 candidates will receive a first-round interview next week, with second-round interviews the following week, public sessions the week after that, and an offer by the end of June. This ambitious timeline led to a telling back-and-forth about the likelihood of appointing an interim superintendent. The next School Committee meeting will take place Wednesday, June 8 at 5pm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions. In this episode, Jill and Ross are joined by current Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, who has served since 2019 and will be leaving BPS at the end of this school year. To learn more and view the full series, please visit BostonSuperintendent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions. In the previous episode of this special series, Jill and Ross were joined by Tommy Chang. In this episode, Jill and Ross are joined by Laura Perille, who served as Interim Superintendent of Boston Public Schools from 2018 to 2019. To learn more and view the full series, please visit BostonSuperintendent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions. In the previous episode of this special series, Jill and Ross were joined by John McDonough. In this episode, Jill and Ross are joined by Tommy Chang, who served as Superintendent of Boston Public Schools from 2015 to 2018. To learn more and view the full series, please visit BostonSuperintendent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions. In the previous episode of this special series, Jill and Ross were joined by Carol Johnson. In this episode, Jill and Ross are joined by John McDonough, who served as Interim Superintendent of Boston Public Schools from 2013 to 2015. To learn more and view the full series, please visit BostonSuperintendent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions. In the previous episode of this special series, Jill and Ross were joined by Mike Contompasis. In this episode, Jill and Ross are joined by Carol Johnson, who served as Superintendent of Boston Public Schools from 2007 to 2013. To learn more and view the full series, please visit BostonSuperintendent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions. In this episode, Jill and Ross are joined by Mike Contompasis, who served as Interim Superintendent of Boston Public Schools from 2006 to 2007. To learn more and view the full series, please visit BostonSuperintendent.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 priorities for our public school system? Who can be successful in the role? What can Bostonians do to make the next Superintendent’s term impactful and successful? In this special series of “Last Night at School Committee,” we bring together more than a dozen community leaders, as well as all 6 superintendents from the last 16 years, and ask them to weigh in on these questions. This first episode features the voices of 14 Boston leaders – teachers, principals, education advocates, nonprofit leaders, union leaders, political leaders, former School Committee members, and others – offering their perspectives on the role of the superintendent, key priorities for Boston Public Schools, and how the community can come together to support our school district and its new leader. Below is a list of all participants in this episode:
Will Austin, Founder and CEO, Boston Schools Fund
Edith Bazile, BPS Parent and Grandparent, Former BPS Teacher, Special Education and Literacy Advocate
Erik Berg, Vice President, Boston Teachers Union
Ernani DeAraujo, Former Boston School Committee Member
Fabienne Eliacin, BPS Parent and Former Member of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEdPAC)
Dr. Caren Walker Gregory, Head of School, Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers
Matt Holzer, Headmaster, Boston Green Academy
Suzanne Lee, Former Principal of the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, Co-Chair of the English Language Learner (ELL) Task Force
Cole Moran, Teacher, Charlestown High School
James Morton, President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Boston
Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, Former Chair of the Boston School Committee and Executive Director of Sociedad Latina
Elizabeth Pauley, Associate Vice President, Education to Career and Health and Wellness, The Boston Foundation
Tanisha Sullivan, President, NAACP Boston
Dave Sweeney, Former Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
To learn more about the participants and see a video version of the episode highlighting each speaker, visit BostonSuperintendent.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 the 5th report in 7 years detailing these incidents. The Superintendent recommended at the end of the report to close the school at the end of the year. There will be a vote by the school committee next Thursday, May 5th to address this recommendation. Numerous public commenters spoke about this report, with others commenting on other issues such as the BTU contract committing to help fend against homelessness amongst students, expanding the P.A. Shaw and the future of the Horace Mann School for the Deaf. The only other report of the meeting was an update on the Superintendent Search, given by Dr. Pam Eddinger, one of the Search Committee chairs. Dr. Eddinger gave an update on the timeline for interviewing candidates and on the public engagement process, however School Committee members expressed concern on the timing of the process and noted the need to have a plan for an interim Superintendent if the search does not conclude by the time Dr. Casseslius’s last day on June 30th.
A special School Committee meeting will take place next Thursday, May 5th, to vote on closing the Mission Hill School. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 Superintendent mentioned that the State will be providing the district with the results of their review by early-to-mid May.
The majority of last night’s meeting featured a long public comment session, with testimony from numerous school communities advocating for support over longstanding issues.
The first report of the night was an update on the superintendent search, with Committee members presenting a finalized job description and the naming of the search firm for the search process. Later in the evening, the Committee heard reports on building repairs and the transportation contract with Transdev. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 be conducting an audit of the district and has prompted a discussion on state receivership, which has been contested by Mayor Michelle Wu. There were numerous pointed questions from members of the School Committee about the district’s struggles in filling vacancies and the consequences of creating more than 100 new positions. The School Committee ultimately voted in favor of the budget with one “no” vote. The School Committee heard two reports last night: a report on assignment and application numbers, and an update on the Superintendent search. The Superintendent and her team shared application data indicating a decline in enrollment for the upcoming school year. This data was first presented last night but typically would be available prior to the final budget vote. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 Boston Day and Evening Academy’s BDEA 2.0 program about the future of their learning space. While a step in the right direction for these school communities, these decisions failed to provide long-term stability to families, and many of those families testified last night The meeting began with an updated presentation from the Superintendent on changes to her initial budget recommendation. The updates include $2.3 million in increases to the Central Office budget and additional funding for 98 schools, including funds for library expansions and additional school psychologists. There were pointed questions from the School Committee about whether this budget accounts for projected declines in enrollment and the ways in which those projections are determined. The meeting then continued with a report on several school building repair projects being submitted to the State – which the Superintendent noted was lacking a larger vision from City leaders for districtwide facility improvements – and finally a progress update from the Superintendent Search Committee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 an Request for Proposals (RFP) for a private search firm. The meeting did not include conversation about big-picture strategy or vision for the district, nor was there information about what type of candidate they are seeking, what their priorities for the next superintendent will be, or how they will work to entice candidates to apply. The next School Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 16 at 5pm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 with the Superintendent’s Report, which included updates on COVID-19 testing protocols and mask mandates in Boston, the status of acceleration academies for students during February vacation, and a preview of future announcements around summer programming. Committee members asked pointed questions that circled back to key outstanding issues from the last meeting, continuing to press for updated enrollment and graduation data.
The School Committee tabled a planned report on an agreement between the district and the Boston Teachers’ Union regarding the citywide vaccine mandate due to a court decision earlier in the day that prevented Mayor Wu from moving forward with the mandate.
Public comment included numerous teachers objecting to the vaccine mandate and the tentative union agreement. In addition, the public comment period featured a large coalition of students and community members of the P.A. Shaw Elementary School advocating for the promised expansion of the school, as well as from the Boston Day and Evening Academy (BDEA) asking the Superintendent to ensure the program would continue to have necessary space and resources.
The School Committee heard two reports last night, with the first one regarding extended pay for four in-district Horace Mann charter schools. The final report of the night discussed the impending search for the district’s next Superintendent. Glenn Koocher, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, outlined best practices for a search and detailed potential challenges in recruiting candidates. Chair Jeri Robinson outlined next steps for the process and discussed the coming release of a new RFP for a search consultant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 addressed a recent Boston Globe report highlighting discrepancies in BPS data that suggest the district has overstated its graduation rate for five of the last seven years. The Superintendent downplayed the significance of this data, while School Committee members asked pointed questions about transparency and trust. The meeting continued with public comment, in which parents and students from the P.A. Shaw Elementary School continued advocating for the promised expansion of the school, followed by the nominations of School Committee member Rafaela Polanco Garcia and Roxanne Harvey, Chair of the Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEdPAC), to the English Language Learner’s Task Force. The Superintendent and her team then presented the preliminary budget to the School Committee. After discussion of MassCore implementation, academic outcomes, and a “quality guarantee” for all students, the Superintendent and her team answered questions from members of the School Committee, who pressed her on why the budget does not factor in enrollment declines and how the budget addresses the needs of current – and not just future – students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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-Hernandez joins Dr.Stephen Alkins as the two newest members appointed by Mayor Wu this month. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report that first celebrated this year’s Educators of the Year. The report focused on COVID rates and updates to testing options, and concluded with a preview of the only report of the night on high school redesign. After thoughtful questions asked by committee members, the School Committee heard public comments primarily from two school communities: the P.A. Shaw School, with numerous students and parents asking for the district to keep their promise of adding a fourth and fifth grade, and the Manning Elementary School, with parents expressing concern with the new exam school policy that denies students assigned to their school the ten bonus points. After a vote on approving a revised Code of Conduct, the School Committee then heard the only report of the night on high school redesign. The Superintendent and her team provided a high-level vision for schools that was lacking in details, metrics, or timelines. One of the more notable points of the presentation was the plan to convert the King K-8 and Trotter K-8 into K-6 schools that would have a guaranteed pathway to the Burke High School in the Grove Hall section of Roxbury. The School Committee asked targeted questions about implementation and timeline for the redesign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 report last night focused on the current COVID-19 surge and the ways in which the district is working to keep schools open while keeping students and staff safe. The Superintendent announced that school sports, which have been on hold since winter break, will be resuming next week – a topic brought up often during public comment last night. She also announced that, in compliance with a citywide mandate, all Boston Public Schools staff will be required to provide proof of vaccination by January 15. We also heard an update on COVID-19 case data in Boston, as well as detail on how the district will make decisions regarding when to quarantine classrooms or close schools. The meeting continued with public comment, in which many parents spoke about their concerns with schools remaining fully in-person, in addition to comments about school sports, the proposed Charlestown innovation high school prospectus, and calls for expansion of the P.A. Shaw Elementary School. The School Committee then voted to approve grants, including $400 million in federal relief funds from ESSER II and ESSER III. There were two presentations last night: the first on the services being provided to the 4,000 unhoused BPS students, and the second on an updated approach to school safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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, where a BINCA student designed artwork for a new sneaker that is available for purchase. After a quick presentation on charter amendments for the Edward M. Kennedy (EMK) Academy, the meeting shifted to public comment, where there were numerous public comments regarding the prospectus for the Charlestown Innovation and Inclusive High School, as well as comments on COVID-19 testing and the exam schools.
The School Committee took three votes last night, voting on two charter amendments for the EMK Academy and the Boston Day and Evening Academy, and finally voted to close the Irving Middle School, Jackson/Mann School, and Timilty Middle School – a vote that had been put off several weeks ago. After voting, the School Committee heard two reports last night: the first was a detailed report from the Office of Equity, and the second a financial update on the district’s budget and ESSER funding. During this report, we heard that much of the federal recovery funding granted to BPS still has not reached schools, and there was also a discussion about the budget impact of continuously declining enrollment numbers across the district. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 comment, in addition to comments on COVID-19 testing, the Mission HIll School, the exam school policy, and a proposed plan for a new innovation high school in Charlestown.
The School Committee heard two reports last night, one on a hiring update and another on amendments to the Boston Day and Evening Academy’s charter. Before the meeting ended, there was a discussion about the exam school policy, focused on the 10 bonus points for students going to schools with poverty levels of 40% or higher. Following the last meeting that featured a presentation of school-by-school data with key information missing, the Superintendent presented new data to the School Committee, as well as introducing a new feature to the policy: a waitlist to each of the exam schools beginning this application cycle. Again, there were few questions on this entirely new element of the policy from members of the School Committee. While there were public comments both for and against the 10 bonus point policy, the Superintendent and School Committee agreed to keep the policy in-place and reassess it next June. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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 issues 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 was made to each of these topics in the Superintendent’s report, and these themes were the focus of public comment. 41 parents, teachers, students, and community members expressed frustration with the way many of these issues are being handled and called for action from the Superintendent and School Committee. The School Committee only heard one presentation, which was an update regarding the implementation of MassCore standards for the district’s high schools. The Committee was supposed to vote on the closing of three of the district’s middle schools -- the Jackson Mann, the Irving, and the Timilty -- but this was delayed by the Superintendent to continue engagement with families and community members of impacted schools. The Superintendent also presented simulations on the new Exam School admission policy, which had been requested by School Committee members and the public since the adoption of this new policy in July. However, many questions still remained, as parents pointed out missing information in the data and a School Committee member formally called for reconsideration of the 10 bonus points included in the new policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What happens at each Boston Public Schools School Committee meeting has big implications for our students, our city, and our state. 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 took place just one night after a historic election that saw Michelle Wu as the first woman and person of color elected Mayor of Boston and a non-binding ballot question in which 80% of voters favored an elected school committee, rather than the current mayor-appointed model. After School Committee members responded to the results of this ballot initiative, the Superintendent shared a presentation in which she briefly addressed the public outcry heard at last week’s meeting concerning the upcoming vote to close the Irving, Timilty, and Jackson-Mann schools. The meeting then moved on to a public comment period that primarily featured parents expressing frustration about the lack of communication and transparency regarding changes to their child’s schools, with a particular focus on the Sumner, Blackstone, and Mendell schools. The School Committee voted on two items last night that were retracted from the previous meeting’s agenda: the first giving the Superintendent the authority to temporarily adjust policies for its Advanced Work Class program, and the second on the Superintendent’s performance goals. Following these votes, the School Committee heard two reports: one on updates to air quality in schools, and a second on the district’s high-level academic vision. The meeting concluded with comments from several members once again reiterating the need for data and simulations on the new exam school policy, as well as calls for re-evaluating BuildBPS and developing a master plan for all facilities. After another long and complicated meeting, we are still left with the following questions:
What is the long term plan for BPS school buildings? Is there an RFP to create a campus master plan? Will the system move forward with short term plans for long term problems? What is the quality guarantee and when will it be implemented?
Will the School committee members ever receive the exam school simulation data they have been requesting meeting after meeting or will the Superintendent’s team continue to brush aside their requests?
What is happening with the ESSR funds? The application date for the new and largest round of funding has come and gone. What is BPS doing with the funding? We’d love to hear an update.
The School Committee will meet again next week on November 3 tentatively at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Testify at the next school committee meeting on Nov. 17 and share your thoughts on how to address the issues facing your school
Reach out to the new mayor and new city councilors to discuss your priorities for BPS
Sign up for our email list at ShahFoundation.org to provide feedback on this podcast, receive updates on our work, and be notified when new podcast episodes are available.
Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Air Quality Update
Academic Vision
City of Boston Bids and Requests for Proposal (RFPs)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, which featured an unannounced update on the exam school policy and its implementation. The report left many of the key questions unanswered, and numerous public commenters expressed confusion and frustration on this topic. The meeting continued with two reports. The first was an update on BuildBPS and included plans to close three schools: the Irving Middle School, Timilty Middle School, and Jackson-Mann School. This announcement elicited a large outcry during public comment from parents impacted by these closures, including a group of commenters from the Sumner Elementary School in Roslindale who were informed just this week that theirs would be the only elementary school in the neighborhood not getting a 6th grade. The last report of the night was a presentation on the Superintendent’s Strategic Plan, which was presented by Charles Grandson and lacked necessary data and measurable outcomes. After a long and complicated meeting, we are still left with the following questions:
What is the long term plan for BPS school buildings? What is the quality guarantee and when will it be implemented?
When will the school system respond to the concrete data requests from school committee members?
It is important to note that both Lorena and Rafaela’s terms expire after the next meeting following the election of a new mayor. Given their insightful and meaningful questions and contributions, these should be considered when the new mayor and her team review their applications for a full term. Will they be reappointed to full terms?
What is happening with the ESSR funds? The application date for the new and largest round of funding has come and gone. What is BPS doing with the funding? We’d love to hear an update.
The School Committee will meet again next week on November 3 tentatively at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Vote for a new Mayor in November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters. You can read their policy proposals regarding education below:
Michelle Wu
Annissa Essaibi-George
Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Meeting Presentations and Materials
BuildBPS Update PowerPoint
Update of Strategic Plan Implementation Powerpoint
Exam School Updated Website
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The meeting began with a discussion about the persistent issues with COVID-19 testing in schools and transportation, including an announcement from the Superintendent of a new task force to address chronic transportation issues. After a public comment session that featured comments on special education services, the Mission Hill School, and the new exam school policy, the Superintendent’s team presented the first report of the evening on the district’s MCAS results. The results showed alarming trends among all grade levels, with double digit drops in performance for many grades. The meeting then followed with the most anticipated report of the night on the revised exam school policy and simulations that have been promised since the policy was passed in July. The presentation left unanswered the biggest question that has been raised repeatedly since the policy was announced -- do students in certain schools have a 0% chance of admission to exam schools under this new system? As School Committee members attempted to press this point, they were provided with answers that were confusing and incomplete. The meeting concluded with a report on the Superintendent’s performance goals. After a long and complicated meeting, we are still left with the following questions:
Given the new policy, will all students in the city of Boston have a chance at attending an Exam School
Will the School Committee change the policy they adopted if they determine that it does not give all students a chance at attending an Exam School?
Will the school system create a plan for increasing the quality of the other high schools in BPS?
How did we measure the impact of the ESSR funding to help inform round 3 of ESSR funding. Previously released plans from BPS said they would submit a preliminary plan for ESSR round 3 funds by October 4th. Is it October 7th. What happened?
The School Committee will meet again on October 27 tentatively at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Vote for a new Mayor in November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters. You can read their policy proposals regaridng education below:
Michelle Wu
Annissa Essaibi-George
Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Meeting Presentations and Materials
2021 MCAS Results PowerPoint
Exam Schools Admissions Policy Implementation Update
Superintendent’s Performance Goals, School Year 2021-2022
Library Services Strategic Plan, 2022-2026 PowerPoint
Advanced Work Class (AWC) Policy Flexibility Request Memo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Welcome to our bonus special edition of Last Night @ School Committee, which we're calling Fact or Fiction. Every two weeks, we discuss the key moments and open questions from the Boston School Committee meeting. We do this to help Boston parents and community members stay informed and engaged, and to hold the superintendent and district leaders accountable. One key to that accountability is tracking the promises that are made over the course of many months, and ensuring that those promises are kept. So in this special episode, we go back over some of the things we’ve heard at recent meetings, from transportation, to exam schools, to vaccines and more, and evaluate whether they turned out to be true. In other words, what is fact, and what is fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, in which she promised an update on exam school simulations at the next meeting. She also discussed the ongoing transportation issues and painted a rosy picture of the timeliness of buses, in spite of the fact that hundreds of students are still unable to get to school, hundreds more are not arriving on time, and families are still facing troubling uncertainty. Following a short public comment period, the School Committee heard two reports on an update to the Code of Conduct and library services, and the Committee took a vote on ESSER funding that has already largely been allocated. Even as school has started and students will begin their third week on Monday, we are still left with the following questions:
What is the plan for ensuring students receive healthy food rather than plastic wrapped, processed food?
How will BPS continue to address transportation issues? How will they ensure this issue will not continue?
How many staff have been vaccinated and / or signed on for weekly testing?
We heard many testify during public comment about the Mission Hill School. What is the plan and strategy for MHS and supporting their school community?
What is the plan for the Horace Mann School for the Deaf? What is the plan for a long term strategy for the EMK?
Is it now too late to take any action on the new exam school admission policy?
How will we measure the impact of the ESSR funding to help inform round 3 of ESSR funding. Especially considering a plan must be submitted by October 4th?
The School Committee will meet again on October 6th tentatively at 6pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Vote for a new Mayor in September and November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters.
As the Supt team said on the news last night and this morning, if you know of 25k of space for EMK please let them know.
If you have issues with busses, school food, water, safety, or other basic human needs, email Sam Dipina. His email address is sdepina@bostonpublicschools.org
Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston Teachers Union regarding Health and Safety for School Year 2021-2022
FY22 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Implementation Plan
Code of Conduct Update PowerPoint
Library Services Strategic Plan, 2022-2026 PowerPoint
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
<< In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. With school starting next Thursday, the Superintendent and her team presented on back-to-school and reopening updates. While the updates began on a positive note with a recap of summer programming and backpack distribution, it quickly turned to a discussion of major operational deficiencies that remain unresolved one week before school starts: a severe bus driver shortage that will impact transportation for an unidentified number of students, a food service shortage that will prevent kids from eating fresh, healthy food, and a lack of data or accountability on how many school staff have complied with the vaccine requirement. Following a public comment that featured the outcries of community members from Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers about the fact that they still have not been provided with adequate learning space, the School Committee received two presentations: one on reforms to the Boston Student Advisory Council, and another on updates regarding federal relief funding. Given that students will be sitting in classrooms a week from today, we are left with the following questions:
How will students get to school in one week? When will families know if they have transportation or not?
What is the plan for ensuring students receive healthy food rather than plastic wrapped, processed food?
How many staff have been vaccinated and / or signed on for weekly testing?
What is the plan for the Horace Mann School for the Deaf? What is the plan for a long term strategy for the EMK?
When will we see a simulation for the exam school admissions policy? Will it also be too late to take any action?
How will we measure the impact of the ESSR funding to help inform round 3 of ESSR funding?
What will happen if the Superintendent does not pass her licensure exam? This should be made available on September 10th.
The School Committee will meet again on September 22nd at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Watch the Boston Mayoral Debate on September 9th at 7pm, and learn where candidates stand on Education in Boston
And, of course, Vote for Mayor in September and November. Education should be a core issue for all elected officials and your vote matters.
Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team.
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Preparing for School Year 2021-2022
Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) Reform Update PowerPoint
FY 22 Budget: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Update PowerPoint
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. Just before the meeting began, the public was made aware of a bombshell story, broken by the Boston Globe, that Superintendent Cassellius’ license had expired. We also learned that state officials had notified the Superintendent multiple times in the six months prior about the pending expiration, and yet the Superintendent did not take the assessment necessary for renewal. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s Report, with the Superintendent honoring the late Thomas Payzant, former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. She then addressed the report on her license expiration, deflecting blame for her failure to renew her license, and she went on to provide updates on summer learning. While the Superintendent and her team showed some of the highlights of summer learning, it was reported earlier this week that thousands of students did not attend any summer programming and were not contacted about these opportunities. After the School Committee voted to approve a policy allowing students to complete their degrees even if they are over age, and to renew their existing Memorandum of Understanding with Unlocking Potential, an organization that operates two schools in Boston, members heard two reports on back to school planning and the BPS Wellness Policy. However, their discussions did not respond to the concerns and outcries of families and community members during public comment, which focused largely on the lack of adequate learning space for students in the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (“EMK”). Given the significance of many of the topics discussed last night, we are left with the following questions:
Who will carry out the Superintendent's duties until she is licensed to do so?
Are the facilities for the EMK, Horace Mann, and Jackson Mann students sufficient and serving the needs of students while we wait for their new buildings to be built?
When will we see simulations released on the approved exam school admission policy which was different from the final task force recommendation?
The School Committee will meet again on September 1st at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Advocate to the School Committee members to increase their accountability of the Superintendent and her team. Help them identify the rocks.
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Suspension of the Maximum Age Policy, School Year 2021-2022
UP Academy Boston Charter Amendments
Preparing for School Year 2021-2022
Wellness Report SY 2019-20
Understanding the Rocks and Sand Allegory
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The five-hour meeting began with the Superintendent providing an update on summer learning, the hiring of new positions in the district, and more. The bulk of the meeting focused on the Superintendent’s proposal for a new Exam School entrance policy, which was different from the previous proposal presented to the School Committee at the last meeting. The new policy sets a weighted composite score consisting of a test score and grades to rank students via tiers based off of census tracts, with additional points going to students living in Boston Housing Authority housing, in the care of the Department of Children and Families, and experiencing homelessness, or to students who attend a school with 40% or more of students from economically disadvantaged families. Even as many during public comment offered their support for distributing 100% of seats via tiers, many opposed the policy and argued for using the previous admissions policy, while others offered their concern for approving the new policy given the lack of simulations running the new policy and no opportunity for the public to provide feedback. Even with many of the members expressing confusion and wishing to review the policy further, the School Committee unanimously approved the proposal and agreed to revisit the policy at a later meeting in September. The School Committee will meet again on August 4th at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Email School Committee members feedback and questions about the Exam School admissions policy that was voted on last night
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Hardin Coleman: hcoleman2@bostonpublicschools.org
Ernani DeAraujo: edearaujo@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Exam Schools Admissions Policy Recommendation
Horace Mann In-District Charter Renewal: Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School
UP Academy Charter Amendments
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The six-hour meeting began with the Superintendent preemptively framing the evening’s conversation around the recommendation from the Exam School Task Force for a new admissions policy to the three exam schools. The Superintendent also provided updates on summer learning, saying, with just a week before summer programs begin, 75% of seats are filled. The meeting then moved to public comment, in which nearly every commenter spoke in opposition to the new admissions policy, with many advocating for a return to the decision that was reached just two days earlier before it was subsequently revised. The School Committee then voted to approve the Superintendent’s performance evaluation and extend her contract by two years, coming just one week after a new report showed overwhelmingly low morale and disengagement from district leaders. The School Committee then heard a report from Tanisha Sullivan and Michael Contompasis, co-chairs of the Exam School Task Force, on the Exam School Task Force’s recommendation for a new admissions policy to the three exam schools. The proposal uses a weighted composite score consisting of a test score and grades to rank students first city-wide (20%), and then via tiers based off of census tracts (80%). While the task force co-chairs presented the final policy, multiple members dissented and expressed their discontent with the new policy. The meeting concluded with a report regarding the federal funding coming to the district and how funding could be spent. With summer programming starting next week and the committee set to vote on the exam school admissions policy at the next meeting, we are left with the following questions:
How will the school committee vote on approving the recommendation of the Exam School Task Force if questions of implementation haven’t been resolved?
Will BPS be able to fill the empty summer school seats, and do we know who still needs a plan for the summer?
Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built? How are the issues being resolved with the McCormack BCLA merger?
How many teachers have been hired for the 2021/22 school year and how many vacancies remain?
What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments?
What are members of the graduating class of 2021 doing next?
Ways to Engage and Resources:
Attend the next exam school task force listening session on July 7
The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on the following date:
Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
Read each of the school committee member’s individual evaluation of the Superintendent’s performance:
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Hardin Coleman
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Ernani DeAraujo
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Michael O'Neill
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Jeri Robinson
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Quoc Tran
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Policy Recommendation
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funding Update
Suspension of the Maximum Age Policy, School Year 2021-2022
Horace Mann In-District Charter Renewal: Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last Night at School Committee Recap: June 16, 2021 Meeting Recap In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting. The first meeting since the resignation of two committee members, Lorna Rivera and Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, the meeting began with the election of the new chair, Jerri Robinson, with Michael O’Neill remaining as vice chair. The Superintendent provided an update on the end of the school year and summer programming, which starts in a few weeks and currently has 73% of its seats filled and a need for staffing. The meeting then featured an emotionally-charged public comment period featuring 42 speakers, covering numerous topics of concern. Following public comment, the school committee heard a report from the co-chairs of the Exam School Admissions Task Force with an update on the task force’s considerations for a new admissions policy to the exam schools. Despite the fact that this recommendation is expected to be finalized by the next school committee meeting in two weeks, the report contained a wide spectrum of options without any consensus. The meeting concluded with a review of the Superintendent’s composite performance evaluation. With the last day of school tomorrow, June 18th, we are left with the following questions:
How will the momentum created last night by the school committee for the creation of another exam school influence decisions moving forward? What will the task force proposal ultimately include? And how will the conversation about high quality high schools continue once the policy is approved by the School Committee?
73% of seats for summer programming have been filled. The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Does every student have a plan for the summer, and how will the district address staffing needs for the summer?
Ways to Engage and Resources: Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm
Attend one of the listening sessions for the exam school task force. They will meet on June 22nd at 6pm, and June 23rd at 4pm. You can find previous information and data from previous meetings hereSunday, June 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on the following dates:
Read each of the school committee member’s individual evaluation of the Superintendent’s performance:
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Hardin Coleman
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Ernani DeAraujo
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Michael O'Neill
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Jeri Robinson
Superintentendent's SY20-21 Evaluation - Quoc Tran
Meeting presentations and materials
Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Update: Potential Areas for Consideration
Superintendent’s Composite Performance Evaluation, School Year 2020-2021 PPT
Renewal of Transdev Transportation Contract
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, which included the revised policy for retention, and an update on an investigation regarding the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC), which was reported in length in a recent Boston Globe article. Following the Superintendent’s report, the Committee heard and voted on facility plans and the naming of the library at the Nathan Hale Elementary School. Concerns about some of the discussed topics were voiced during public comment, which featured multiple students and parents speaking about the ongoing BSAC crisis as well as staff and parents from the Horace Mann School. The meeting then concluded with two reports, one from the Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council and another regarding systemized grading throughout the district. Overall, the plans presented last night outlined a positive vision for BPS grounded in equity and student achievement but lacking important detail around implementation. We are left with the following questions:
What further steps will the district take to ensure that the current and former students of BSAC are okay? How will the district manage BSAC rather than outsource it in the future?
What is the plan for summer? The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Do we have a plan for every student?
Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built?
How many teachers have been hired for next year and how many vacancies remain?
What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments?
When will we hear a draft policy on exam school admissions?
What is happening with our graduating students? How many are attending college? If they aren’t going to college, what are they doing next? Does the district have any of this data?
Ways to Engage:
Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm.
The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet tonight at 5pm and on the following dates:
Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm
Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm
Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
Resources
Boston Globe article regarding the BSAC Investigation
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpedPAC) Annual Update
Equitable Grading PowerPoint
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent’s report, which included an update and summary of the results of the one-year, temporary exam school admissions process. The meeting then followed with a presentation and vote on changing graduation requirements and implementing Masscore standards across the district. While the Committee ultimately adopted the proposal, there was dissent from one member who expressed hesitation on the district’s ability to implement Masscore standards in all BPS high schools. The meeting concluded with a presentation on the capital budget and an ambitious plan for replacing all BPS schools older than 50 years. As the School Committee voted in a new graduation policy and shared a vision for new buildings, there were many things that were not addressed in the meeting, including attendance numbers in schools, updates on the return to full in-person learning for high school students, and detailed plans for summer learning. We are left with the following questions:
How many teachers have been hired for next year and how many vacancies remain?
What are the updated enrollment projections for next year based on the first round of student assignments?
What is happening with our students who are graduating without any graduation standards? Are they attending college, the job market, does the district have the data?
What is the plan for summer? The district promised months ago to know the plan for every student in BPS. Do we have a plan for every student?
Where will the Horace Mann students attend school until their new school is built?
Ways to Engage and Resources:
Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm
The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet tonight at 5pm and on the following dates:
Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm
Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm
Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
Members of the commission include:
Sam Acevedo, GBLN, HERN, OAG CO-Chair
Celina Barrios-Millner, Equity and Inclusion, City of Boston
Rahn Dorsey, Stakeholder
Pam Eddinger, Bunker Hill Community College
Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Lawyers for Civil Rights
Theresa Garcia de Quevedo, Mildred Ave School
Roxanne Harvey, Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council
John Jackson, Schott Foundation
Karla Jenkins, Principal of Higginson Inclusion School (K0-2)
Suzanne Lee, ELL Task Force
Margaret McKenna, Human Rights Commission
Xyra Mercer, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
Keith Motley, Urban League
Alex Oliver-Davila, BPS School Committee
Lee Pelton, The Boston Foundation
Paul Reville, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Ruby Reyes, Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA)
Nicol Riley, Citywide Parent Council
Valerie Roberson, Roxbury Community College
Jeri Robinson, BPS School Committee
Jim Rooney, Boston Chamber of Commerce
Ayele Shakur, OAG Task Force
Chris Smith, Boston After School and Beyond
Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, UMASS Boston Chancellor
Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP
Neil Sullivan, PIC
Jessica Tang, Boston Teachers Union
Pastor Matt K Thompson, Jubilee Church
Dania Vazquez, Head of School - Margarita Muniz
Grace Wai, School Superintendent & Executive Team Member
TBD, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
TBD, District English Learner Advisory Committee
Boston Globe article on last night’s meeting
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Boston Public Schools MassCore Graduation Requirements Update
Proposed BPS Graduation Requirements Policy
Heat Map - High Schools Road Map to MassCore
FY22 Capital Budget PowerPoint
Capital Budget and BuildBPS Update Summary of Projects
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent's report on the status of the return to in-person learning for K-8 students. Following this report, the School Committee unveiled their goals and values for student achievement over the next five years. These goals set the bar notably low for student proficiency, with an aspiration of one in two students graduating unprepared for college or the workforce, and that bar was set even lower for students of color and students with disabilities. Despite hesitation from the members, and unanswered questions about how these goals will be monitored and enforced, they were approved unanimously. Last night’s meeting also included a vote on the revised attendance policy and on an agreement between the Boston Teachers’ Union and the Boston School Committee regarding Family Liaison Classification. The meeting ended with a report on equitable policy. Missing from last night’s conversation were a number of topics on the minds of students and parents across the city, including the exam school invitations that were just sent out and any plans for the fast-approaching summer. We are left with the following questions:
Where are the students? How are they doing? Mentally, emotionally, academically?
What do we need to do to plan for next year given that we don’t have measures in place to discern where kids are?
No plans for the summer-- why didn’t this make it on the agenda? When will this be communicated to parents? And how?
How many graduates are going to college? What is going to happen to the rest of the senior class?
Families received a notification about the results of the exam school admissions process. What are the results of this?
Ways to Engage and Resources:
Attend an exam school task force committee meeting, which will be meeting weekly in May on Tuesdays, starting at 5pm
The commission to advise the superintendent on how to spend the incoming $400m will have 5 public meetings, which you can attend. They will meet on:
Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm
Thursday, May 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, June 10, 5:00pm
Sunday, June 27, 5:00pm
Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm
Members of the commission include:
Sam Acevedo, GBLN, HERN, OAG CO-Chair
Celina Barrios-Millner, Equity and Inclusion, City of Boston
Rahn Dorsey, Stakeholder
Pam Eddinger, Bunker Hill Community College
Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Lawyers for Civil Rights
Theresa Garcia de Quevedo, Mildred Ave School
Roxanne Harvey, Boston Special Education Parent Advisory Council
John Jackson, Schott Foundation
Karla Jenkins, Principal of Higginson Inclusion School (K0-2)
Suzanne Lee, ELL Task Force
Margaret McKenna, Human Rights Commission
Xyra Mercer, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
Keith Motley, Urban League
Alex Oliver-Davila, BPS School Committee
Lee Pelton, The Boston Foundation
Paul Reville, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Ruby Reyes, Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA)
Nicol Riley, Citywide Parent Council
Valerie Roberson, Roxbury Community College
Jeri Robinson, BPS School Committee
Jim Rooney, Boston Chamber of Commerce
Ayele Shakur, OAG Task Force
Chris Smith, Boston After School and Beyond
Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, UMASS Boston Chancellor
Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP
Neil Sullivan, PIC
Jessica Tang, Boston Teachers Union
Pastor Matt K Thompson, Jubilee Church
Dania Vazquez, Head of School - Margarita Muniz
Grace Wai, School Superintendent & Executive Team Member
TBD, Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC)
TBD, District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)
Boston School Committee’s Goals and Values
Boston School Committee Goals and Values PowerPoint
Revised Attendance Policy and Procedures SY21-22
Equitable Policy Review PPT
Letter from Superintendent Cassellius to BPS Community in response to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. This meeting began with the Superintendent's report on returning to school, including the plan to return many students in k-8 to 5 days a week of in person learning beginning April 26th. The Superintendent also announced a major reorganization of her leadership team. The final presentation provided an overview of a policy regarding attendance and course completion and discussion about chronic absenteeism. Notably there was a concerning conversation about the lack of consistency in teaching and learning between and within schools in BPS. There were two votes removed from the agenda on the day of the meeting; school committee goals and guardrails, and using masscore for the district’s graduation policy. Public comment featured 16 speakers, nearly all of whom advocated for suspending this year’s MCAS exam. The Biden administration has already granted one waiver to a school district to postpone their standardized testing. We are left with the following questions:
We didn’t hear a summer school update. How many openings are there? Are they in person or virtual? How many students have already signed up for a summer program?
What is the update on teacher and school leader hiring to ensure an effective opening in September?
How is the district thinking about using the federal stimulus funding?
School assignments have been released for most students. What are the enrollment numbers for next year?
With pending litigation, when will assignments go out for 7th and 9th grade students and exam school applicants?
Which assessments will the district use for the end of year for both the social emotional needs and academic needs of our students?
Ways to Engage and Resources
Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget that was voted on last night. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS.
Attend an exam school task force committee meeting on Tuesday nights from 5-7pm
Here is a recent article on the Biden Administration rejecting requests from states to cancel standardized testing
Composite Superintendent’s School Year 2019-2020 Performance Evaluation
Operational Readiness for the Return to 5 day In-person Learning on April 26
Revised Attendance Policy and Procedures SY21-22
Op-Ed from Superintendent Cassellius in The Boston Globe
2021-2022 Boston Public Schools calendar
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting began with the Superintendent's report on returning to school including the plan to return students in K-8 to 5 days a week of in person learning beginning April 26th. After a three month process of community listening sessions, meetings, and revisions, the School Committee voted unanimously to support the Superintendent’s FY22 budget. Additionally, there was an elaborate presentation on high schools including celebrating the highest graduation rate ever. The presentation also featured a resurfaced proposal to implement MassCore as the district graduation standard. We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting...
How will support 2020 graduates as well as graduates from this school year, who ended their high school careers in less than optimal circumstances?
How will we use the federal funding to help both them and current families who also suffered greatly these past two years?
What will 5 days a week in person or fully remote look like across all grades? Will students have different teachers, will students be able to switch classes in person at the upper grade levels? What happens if a family wants to switch from in-person to remote learning?
With the school choice season coming to a close, when will families find out next year's assignments? What are the enrollment numbers for next year?
Who is taking advantage of the 22,000 summer opportunities that were presented at last week’s school committee meeting? How will the district ensure that every student has a plan? And, how will they track this?
How will BPS ensure safety in their programs this summer? Will they include Covid-19 testing? What are the other expected protocols?
How to Engage and Resources
Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget that was voted on last night. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS.
Email Your City Councilor:
Matt O’Malley (City Council President, District 6) matthew.omalley@boston.gov Annissa Essaibi-George (At-Large) a.e.george@boston.gov Julia Meija (At-Large) julia.meija@boston.gov Michelle Wu (At-Large) michelle.wu@boston.gov Michael Flaherty (At-Large) Michael.F.Flaherty@boston.gov Lydia Edwards (District 1) lydia.edwards@boston.gov Ed.Flynn (District 2) Ed.Flynn@boston.gov Frank Baker (District 3) frank.baker@boston.gov Andrea Campbell (District 4) Andrea.Campbell@boston.gov Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) ricardo.arroyo@boston.gov Kim Janey (Mayor of Boston, City Councilor for District 7) kim.janey@boston.gov Kenzie Bok (District 8) kenzie.bok@boston.gov Liz Breadon (District 9) liz.breadon@boston.gov
Attend an exam school task force committee meeting
Email us your ideas on how to support this year’s and last year's graduates of BPS: info@shahfoundation.org
Dorchester Reporter article on City of Boston Finances
Superintendent's Final FY22 Budget Recommendation Letter
College, Career, and Life Readiness PowerPoint
BPS Graduation Rate (2019) by high school
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was preceded by the last budget hearing before the School Committee vote next week. The meeting then went on to the Superintendent’s report on reopening, as the state and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education push schools to offer full in-person learning starting April 5th. Public comment featured parents and community members advocating for the full in-person learning model as well as others expressing concern and distrust with the district. The meeting ended with two reports on in-person summer learning plans and an update on the School Committee’s goals and guardrails. The district continues to follow its hybrid model of re-opening and parents are being asked to decide by Monday if they want to have their child fully in-person or fully remote in April. There continues to be lots of questions about the details of these learning models. We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting...
Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously as more students go back to school in person each week - and some families choose to stay remote until the end of the year?
What will 5 days a week in person or fully remote look like across all grades? Will students have different teachers, will students be able to switch classes in person at the upper grade levels? What happens if a family wants to switch from in-person to remote learning? How will the obstacles the Superintendent outlined be resolved? Will the district apply for a waiver?
What is the strategy for using the influx of federal funds for long term investments in BPS?
With the school choice season coming to a close, when will families find out their assignments? What are the enrollment numbers for next year?
What are the strategies to deal with students' attendance. How will the system address their learning and social emotional needs?
How will summer programs be advertised to parents? How will they ensure that every student has a plan? And, how will they track this?
How will BPS ensure safety in their programs this summer? Will they include Covid-19 testing? What are the other expected protocols?
The School Committee will vote at the next meeting on March 24th on the 2022 budget proposal. Ways to Engage and Resources
Boston’s City Council approves the school department’s budget. It is the biggest part of the city budget. Make sure that they know what you think about the budget and where you have questions or would like to see changes. Advocate for a clear strategy on how the influx of recovery money will be spent for long term positive change for BPS.
Email school committee members encouraging them to find answers to the questions families have about returning to in-person learning.
Attend an upcoming exam school admissions task force meeting, which will be meeting weekly on Zoom.
March 17 Budget Hearing and Meeting Presentations and Materials
Superintendent's Final FY22 Budget Recommendation Letter
Summer Learning Planning Update
Update on Boston School Committee Priority Setting: Goal Measures
Goals and Guardrails, March 17, 2021
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. The meeting was a long one, about 6.5 hours. There were 62 residents providing public comment, who included students, parents, and community organizations, and they all had one unified message: we do not trust the district. There was a fierce vibration as students advocated for a stronger voice in decision making. Families continued to express both sides of the back to school in person story - representing fears of returning because of their experiences with the pandemic, and fears of staying home because of their fears of the social, emotional, and academic impact that this is having on our children. There were two presentations including a literacy program “pitch” that we have all seen before, and a hollow reiteration of why the committee needs new goals and guardrails in addition to the goals that they have already set for the superintendent and the district. With thousands of students returning to school on Monday, there was little discussion or questions from Committee members about how remote learning is going, what back to school will look like, and how we will address the academic and social emotional needs caused by this pandemic. We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting... Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously with all K0 through 3rd graders returning to school on Monday? What will transportation look like on Monday? How will the state’s sponsored pool testing program be implemented in schools? How is this being communicated to parents? To those who are returning to school on Monday? It’s Exam school admissions time. How many students were in the pool of applicants? What are the results of the new policy that was implemented this year? The presented budget begins July 1st. What will summer look like for our students? What will school look like in the fall? Will hybrid and remote learning continue? For how long? What tools should be in place to support teaching students both in person and remote simultaneously? What measures will be necessary to return all students to in-person learning? What is the plan for teacher vaccination? The next school committee meeting will take place on March 17th at 6pm, with a budget hearing taking place before the meeting at 5pm. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Attend a Budget HearingTuesday, March 9th, 5pm
Review your school’s proposed funding for FY22
Reach out to your City Councilor and tell them what you think about the budget
Attend an upcoming exam school admissions task force meeting, which will be meeting weekly on Zoom.
Learn more about the state’s K-12 pooled testing program
Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials:
Update on Remote/Hybrid Learning and Reopening
Early Literacy Update
Update on Boston School Committee Priority Setting: Goals and Guardrails
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s BPS School Committee meeting. During this 4-hour meeting:
The Superintendent provided a concerning update on student attendance
A number of students provided spirited testimony about their voices not being heard in decision making
The Committee voted to approve one-year of flexibilities for graduation requirements, promotion, grading and advanced work class admission
The Superintendent and her team unveiled a preliminary FY 2022 budget to the School Committee. The presentation included a breakdown of the $1.3 billion of funding, the allocation of the funds and discussion about the sustainability of the investments the Superintendent and her team are recommending given the short term nature of the funding and continued declining enrollment.
The approval of the FY2022 budget will take place in late March, and there are multiple opportunities to express your thoughts and opinions to the district and the School Committee. We are left with the following questions in reflecting on this meeting... Do teachers have what they need to teach simultaneously with more than 7000 students with high needs returning to in-person learning today and tomorrow? How many families have changed their preference from remote to in-person hybrid learning? What are the strategies to improve students' attendance? How will the system address their learning and social emotional needs? The presented budget begins July 1st. What will summer look like for our students? What will school look like in the fall? Will hybrid and remote learning continue? For how long? What tools should be in place to support teaching students both in person and remote simultaneously? What measures will be necessary to return all students to in-person learning? Will each student and staff member be tested for Covid-19, utilizing the state’s testing program, at least once per week in their respective school? What is the plan for teacher vaccination? What are the outcomes of the interim exam school’s admissions policy this year? In the listening sessions that begin this week, will the Committee provide real numbers instead of the X’s used in her stated goals and guardrails? Will this year’s budget be aligned to these goals. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Attend a Budget Hearing
First hearing: February 11th, 5 p.m.
Review your school’s proposed funding for FY22
Reach out to your City Councilor and tell them what you think about the budget
Attend a School Committee Community Meeting and push for “X’s” to be defined as well as clarification on alignment with existing stated goals, the superintendent's strategic plan and the superintendent's performance evaluation goals.
February 6th, 10 - 11:30 a.m.
February 8th, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Email the School Committee and the Superintendent and encourage them to take advantage of the state’s Covid-19 pooled surveillance testing program.
Learn more about the state’s K-12 pooled testing program
Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials:
Request for Flexibilities on the Following BPS Policies due to COVID for SY 2020-2021
Superintendent’s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Preliminary Budget Recommendation PowerPoint
BPS School Year Dashboard
Check out the Boston School’s Fund blog on the BPS budget
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public Schools’ School Committee meeting. During this 3-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed newly announced school building reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and reviewed a proposal from the Superintendent about the readjustment of certain policies for this school year, including changes to testing and placement for the Advanced Work Class program. As Covid-19 cases throughout the City of Boston trend in a better direction, the Superintendent presented school building reopening updates, with more students being welcomed back to in-person learning on February 1st. The pooled surveillance testing program sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was discussed, and the Superintendent and her team presented operational updates that support welcoming more children back to school. Following this, parents and community members spoke during public comment about the need for the reopening of buildings, and allowing children to be physically back in school, along with concerns about the revised exam school admissions policy and changes to the Advanced Work Class model. The Superintendent, in her final presentation, requested greater flexibility on policies including direction for promotion and retention of students, graduation, and Advanced Work Class testing. The next School Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 3rd at 5pm EST, and will feature the preliminary budget recommendation for FY2022. Over the next few weeks, there will be many opportunities for students, families, and community members to voice their opinions, concerns and ideas to district officials and School Committee members at a variety of hearings. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Attend the Reopening Schools Community Meeting hosted by the Superintendent
January 28th, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Attend a School Committee Community Meeting and push for “X’s” to be defined as well as clarification on alignment with existing stated goals, the superintendent's strategic plan and the superintendent's performance evaluation goals.
February 6th, 10 - 11:30 a.m.
February 8th, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Attend a Budget Hearing
Stay tuned for Exam School Task force dates and attend if you are able. Ask for the data from this year’s “one year” interim assignment methodology.
Email the School Committee and the Superintendent and encourage them to take advantage of the state’s Covid-19 pooled surveillance testing program.
Learn more about the state’s K-12 pooled testing program
Review last night’s meeting presentation and materials:
Update on Health and Safety Preparations for Reopening of School Buildings PowerPoint
Request for Flexibilities on the Following BPS Policies due to COVID for SY 2020-2021
BPS School Year Dashboard
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last Night at School Committee: 1/13 Meeting Recap In our first episode of 2021, Jill and Ross recap the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. During this 5-hour meeting, the School Committee discussed reopening updates, heard from families and community members in public comment, and heard updates on the Superintendent’s goals as well as updates from the Exam School task force and the Office of Equity. This was the first meeting since Mayor Walsh has accepted the nomination to be Labor Secretary for President-elect Joe Biden as well as hearing from Governor Baker about a plan for pooled testing for schools. The School Committee heard from the Superintendent regarding an updated reopening timeline as well as updates from her team on numerous subjects, including daily attendance and grading among many others. Public comment featured students calling on the School Committee to listen to and allow Student Representative Khymani James to have a vote, as well as parents showing frustration regarding the change to exam school admissions and reopening plans. As of now, BPS is planning to re-open schools starting on February 1st for high in-person priority students, with the remaining students starting to return on March 1st. For more information regarding reopening as well as ways to engage, check out the links below. Ways to Engage and Resources:
Here is the link for school registration.
Attend a Budget Hearing
Stay tuned for Exam School Task force dates
Email School Committee members and the Superintendent encouraging them to take advantage of the state’s surveillance testing program.
Tune in to the 39th Annual MLK Celebration here
Poll on an Elected School Committee
Article on the School Committee seat remaining open
Meeting Presentations and Materials
Reopening and Remote Learning Update
Exam Schools Admissions Task Force Membership and Charge
Office of Equity Update
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Last Night at School Committee Recap: 12/16 Meeting On this episode of Last Night at School Committee, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston School Committee meeting, the last meeting of 2020. As we heard updates regarding reopening 28 schools as well as financial updates and discussion about the Superintendent’s performance goals for 2020-21, public comment featured frustration, anger and a lack of confidence from different community members about reopening schools. This lack of confidence has become more present this week, as the Boston Teachers Union gave a vote of no confidence towards the Superintendent. The Superintendent reported on a variety of things, including the re-opening of 28 schools this week for about 1700 high priority students as well as recapping some important discussion points that were discussed at the School Committee’s Saturday retreat. As the reports continued, many important issues became apparent, including the fact that nearly 25% of high school students aren’t logging onto classes. The meeting ended with the School Committee discussing the performance goals for the Superintendent for 2020-21. The School Committee will not be meeting until the new year in January. You can read more about the updates and information the School Committee looked at this past week here. Resources:
Presentations from 12/12 Retreat
Presentations from 12/16 Meeting
Remote Learning Data Update
Reopening Update
Boston Globe article on the BTU Vote of No Confidence
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this special edition of Last Night at School Committee, Ross and Jill talk to Will Austin, CEO of the Boston Schools Fund, and Latoya Gayle, founder of Boston School Finder and parent activist. As the Boston School Committee heard an update regarding the BuildBPS plan last week, Will and Latoya help to provide additional insight and thoughts about this important update. Since 2014, the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools have been discussing BuildBPS, a Facilities Master Plan for the Boston Public schools aimed at bringing Boston’s school buildings into the 21st century. The first BuildBPS Report and Plan was released in March of 2017, and last Wednesday’s school committee meeting featured an update regarding some of the ongoing and future projects in BuildBPS as well as important developments and changes to the plan. BuildBPS is a ten year plan and continues to change and evolve over time. We will continue to get updates at school committee meetings and will continue to discuss the plans and their implications as they come. As the school year progresses, here are a few topics to keep an eye on:
The challenges of decreased enrollment on BuildBPS and how enrollment changes will impact future plans
The impact of BuildBPS on school choice and the future of school choice
What the BuildBPS process should look like moving forward
Next steps for the closing of the Edwards Middle School, the upcoming 7-12 models at East Boston and Charlestown High Schools, the BCLA-McCormack merger, and the future of the Horace Mann School
To read more about Boston Schools Fund’s analysis of Boston Public Schools’ 2020-2021 enrollment data, you can find it here. The Boston School Committee will be holding a virtual retreat this Saturday, December 12th, from 9am-3pm. You can find more details about this meeting here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. A little less than 5 hours long, the School Committee discussed important topics relating to the BuildBPS plan that is ongoing, updates from the Superintendent, and public comment from community members, families, and students. While the last meeting touched on a variety of topics, the School Committee mostly focused on updates surrounding the BuildBPS plan that deals with the construction of school buildings, reimagining of school pathways and more. While there are multiple projects ongoing, the meeting focused on the closing of the Edwards Middle School, the merging of the McCormack Middle School and Boston Community Leadership Academy, 7-12 grade pathway expansions at Charlestown High School and East Boston High School, and the Horace Mann/Jackson Mann. Public comment featured multiple testimonies about school reopening and outcries from parents, community members and students on the need for reopening, as well as comments about other issues that were not discussed at length at the meeting. The School Committee will be holding a virtual retreat on December 12th that is open to the public. You can find information about this public event as well as more information presented at the meeting here. Resources: BuildBPS Update PowerPoint Resources from December 2nd Meeting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
New Last Night at School Committee: 11/18 Recap In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. The first meeting since the resignation of former Chairperson Michael Loconto and the release of text exchanges between School Committee members, the School Committee voted on new leadership, heard updates from Superintendent Cassellius and from Human Capital, and heard concerns from families and community members during public comment. As parents voiced their concerns and frustrations during public comment regarding numerous issues regarding remote learning, the removal of the SEI program from the Mather Elementary School, and more, the School Committee spent the rest of the meeting debriefing the events of the last meeting, hearing from the Superintendent regarding updates across the district, and reports on Human Capital annual hiring and an agreement between the district and the Boston Association of School Administrators and Supervisors. You can find more information on the School Committee’s website. Resources: Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Boston School Committee and the Boston Association of School Administrators and Supervisors (BASAS) PowerPoint Office of Human Capital (OHC) Annual Hiring Update PowerPoint Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. The meeting was centered around the proposed exam school admissions policy, presented by the Exam School Admissions Working Group. Lasting almost 9 hours, we heard from students, families, teachers, city councilors, and even Mayor Walsh regarding the new recommended policy. Although it was announced on Wednesday that Boston Public Schools would be going fully virtual with another uptick in the city-wide COVID-19 positivity rate, there was a focus on the exam school admissions policy and the vote taking place. The working group presented on the policy, and we heard from many asking school committee members to vote yes, including Mayor Walsh and other city councilors from across Boston. Public comment featured almost 180 speakers, with many discussing their feelings about the new exam school admissions criteria. After hearing from 180 speakers, the School Committee ultimately voted to approve this new admissions policy for this school year. This morning, Chair of the School Committee Michael Loconto resigned from his position with many urging him to do so after appearing to mock names during public comment. You can find more information on the School Committee’s website. Resources: Recommendation of Exam Schools Admissions Criteria for School Year 2021-22 Update PowerPoint Exam Schools Admissions Criteria for School Year 2021-2022
October 8, 2020 PowerPoint
Memo from Exam School Admissions Working Group to Superintendent Cassellius re: Admissions Recommendation, October 5, 2020
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s (10/8) Boston Public School Committee Meeting. As the district announced earlier this week that the district would delay their reopening plan, there was a lot of discussion about the reopening plan among committee members and pleas from parents, teachers and students about prioritizing safety and the needs of the students. The School Committee also heard a proposal on using an alternative model for admission to Boston’s exam schools for this school year. The Superintendent first updated the public and Committee on the district’s reopening plan, with special guest, Mayor Walsh, discussing the importance of supporting students with the highest needs. School Reopening Update Public comment featured reactions and thoughts from City Councilors, students, teachers, and families urging the district to prioritize safety in reopening as well as the importance of servicing students with disabilities at this time and how meaningful reopening school has been for students with the highest needs. There was only one proposal presented by the Exam School Admissions Working Group. Due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of inequities on many students, the working group proposed moving away from using an admissions test and using previous student academic records (GPA or MCAS scores) to create an admissions pool. As the district previously has been criticized and questioned about their admissions processes and invitations, there were many questions about the implementation of this recommendation while praising the work presented. Exam School Admissions Criteria and Policy for School Year 2020-21 Admissions Cycle The School Committee will reconvene on October 21st to vote on this recommendation presented by the working group. You can find more information on the School Committee’s website. If you’d like to hear more about issues and topics surrounding the exam schools, you can listen to our podcasts focusing on the exam schools. Resources: Boston Public Schools Reopening Website Boston Public Schools Reopening FAQs Conversation with former Superintendent Michael Contompasis on the Exam Schools Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. As schools reopen today to welcome some of the in-person priority students, there was a lot of discussion about what has been done and concerns from teachers, families, and community members. As the City of Boston has been designated a red zone in Massachusetts, the Superintendent and her team provided an update about how remote learning has improved and updates on the phased-in reopening plan.
School Reopening Update
School Reopening PowerPoint from Sept. 16, 2020
Many families, teachers, parents, and community members expressed their concerns over reopening safely as well as raising frustration over School Committee members wanting to limit the number of public comments made. Students with in-person priority were welcomed back to their schools today, despite the rising case rates throughout Boston. Starting October 12th, in-person priority students can return to school 4 days a week, while hybrid instruction for all students is scheduled to start on October 15th. You can find more information on the School Committee’s website. Resources: Boston Public Schools Reopening Website Boston Public Schools Reopening FAQs Division of Equity, Strategy, and Opportunity Gaps Update Presentation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School Committee Meeting. Almost 7 hours long, the meeting covered a lot of ground, with a lot of focus -- and concern -- on reopening plans. The Superintendent and her team presented on a few items:
Review of the re-opening plans for the 2020-2021 school year
Memorandum of Agreement between the Boston Public Schools and Boston Teachers Union for the 2020-2021 School Year during the on-going COVID-19 Pandemic
The School Committee heard from over 50 members of the BPS community, expressing their concerns about reopening and the student information sharing policy. These concerns are echoed in an article from The Boston Globe. The meeting was concluded with unanimous votes to pass action items regarding a revised information sharing policy, a universal pre-kindergarten connector system, and Memorandum of Agreement between the Boston Public Schools and Boston Teachers Union. Boston Public Schools will officially start on Monday, September 21st, remotely, before offering hybrid learning no earlier than October 1st. You can find more information on the School Committee’s website. Resources: School Reopening Update PowerPoint MOU of BPS and BTU PowerPoint Boston Globe article on Reopening Concerns for BPS Boston Public Schools Reopening Website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this podcast, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night's Boston Public School's School Committee Meeting. Families, teachers, administrators and staff are anxiously waiting to learn how BPS will implement its school reopening plan for the Fall. Last night's meeting included:
The BPS School Reopening Plan,
Policy regarding preparing and sharing student information, and
Changes to the district's policy on early childhood education
As referenced in the episode:
Example of the health and safety measures in the Bolling Building administrative offices
See an example of a BPS meal as discussed by Ross and Jill in this episode, below. According to Superintendent, Brenda Cassilius, BPS has given out 1.6M meals to kids in Boston.
Resources:
To review last night's presentations, click here.
Find more information on the School Committee's website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this podcast, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night's Boston Public School's School Committee Meeting. The meeting was about 8 hours long, running past 1 am. The Superintendent's team and school committee discussed:
The Reopening Plan for School Year 2020-21,
A Task Force for Exam Schools, and
The Superintendent's first-year Performance Evaluation
Links to the Committee's comments on the Superintendent's Performance Evaluation: Chair Loconto Vice-Chair Oliver-Davila Michael O'Neill Lorna Rivera Jeri Robinson Quoc Tran
Find more information on the School Committee's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this podcast, Jill and Ross discuss the highlights of last night’s Boston Public School’s School Committee Meeting. It was a long night, with over 600 participants joining the 6 hour ZOOM meeting. The Superintendent’s team and school committee presented on and discussed two important items:
A draft re-opening plan for School Year 2020-21, and
The new exam school admissions exam, and a special task force that has been established by the Superintendent to recommend whether it is used this year.
Additionally, reports were provided on the Columbia Point Parcel RFP and placemaking for Boston Youth. Find more information on the school committee's website. Resources: Link to Presentations Link to Community Reopening Meetings Link to Video Password: k2b!2dp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Yesterday's school committee meeting was held over Zoom. The important information discussed included:
Ambassador Raymond L. Flynn Sensory Room Dedication Recommendation at Tynan Elementary School
Up Academy Boston Charter Renewal
Find more information on the school committee's website. Resources: Link to Presentations Link to Video Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As we continue to shift toward a new normal, we hope you and your family are well. Once again, yesterday's school committee meeting was held over Zoom. Valuable information discussed included:
The FY20 Budget Update: Impact of COVID-19
English Language Learners Task Force Update
Superintendent's Performance Evaluation Update: Proposed SMART Goals and Educator Development
Transdev One-Year Contract Extension
More information can be found on the school Committee's website. Resources: Link to Presentations
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week's school committee meeting was once again virtual. A lot of important information was discussed: Update on technology and what is being done to engage those who aren't participating Summer learning plans MassCore Report High School Redesign Report and more More information can be found on the school Committee's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The first school committee meeting of May was once again held over Zoom. This episode of Last Night at School Committee covers many important topics including: Update from Superintendent Information on Federal Funding for Public Schools A discussion on Food supports for families during Covid-19 A report on Virtual Learning Plan and more More information can be found on the school Committee's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We hope that you and your family continue to be well during this challenging time. The School Committee's April 29th meeting was held once again via Zoom. This episode of Last Night at School Committee covers many important topics including: -An update on meals and technology distribution to students and families -The new interim MOU Between BPS and BTU on remote learning A vote on the Strategic Plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We hope that you enjoy this episode of Last Night at School Committee. The meeting was held on April 15th, and once again was held using Zoom. Our coverage includes discussion about: MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Review, Recommendations, and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) A discussion on the Superintendent’s Operational Plan and more More information can be found on the school Committee's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We hope that you enjoy this episode of Last Night at School Committee. The meeting was held onMarch 25th, and was the first ever meeting held using Zoom. Our coverage includes discussion about: - The District's response to Corona Virus, and how they continue to provide academic and other services to families - A discussion on the budget, which the School Committee voted to approve. More information can be found on the school Committee's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We hope that you enjoy this episode of Last Night at School Committee. The meeting was held on February 26th, and our coverage includes discussion about: The Strategic Plan Update The Strategic Plan Draft DESE commissioned report Celebration of teachers who have achieved National Board Certification Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The school committee begins the annual discussion on budget in a 5 hr meeting! Ross and Jill break down the hot topics and complexities from that discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jill & Ross recap BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassilius' plan for restructuring schools, and Boston Teachers Union President, Jessica Tang's plan for improved inclusion classrooms, where students of all abilities are taught together. Listen to our 15-minute recap here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We are excited to announce our new podcast: Last Night at School Committee. This new series was created as an easy way for any parent, citizen, or interested party to get the highlights - and our take - on what happened last night at the most recent BPS school committee meeting. In this episode, we discuss the most recent meeting which took place on January 15th. We dig into the presentation made to school committee members, important statistics such as school performance data, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices