July 13 2022 · Last Night @ School Committee Recap · Ep. 66
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.
The next School Committee meeting will take place Wednesday, August 10 at 5pm.
Here are some of the questions that we think are worth asking:
When will Mary Skipper begin her tenure as Superintendent of Boston Public Schools?
How will Acting Superintendent Echelson ensure BPS meets all the deadlines in the DESE agreement? How will the community be involved in that process?
Ways to Engage and Resources:
Reach out to members of the Boston School Committee:
Chair Jeri Robinson: grobinson@bostonpublicschools.org
Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: moneill2@bostonpublicschools.org
Quoc Tran: qtran2@bostonpublicschools.org
Lorena Lopera: llopera@bostonpublicschools.org
Rafaela Polanco Garcia: rpolancogarcia@bostonpublicschools.org
Dr. Stephen Alkins: salkins@bostonpublicschools.org
Brandon Cardet-Hernandez: bcardethernandez@bostonpublicschools.org
Listen to our special podcast series on advice for the new superintendent. It’s seven episodes featuring exclusive interviews with Superintendent Cassellius, her five predecessors, and more than a dozen community leaders. The full series is available in your podcast feed and at BostonSuperintendent.com.