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.

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.

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.

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.

La reunión de anoche comenzó con una actualización de la investigación que ha estado en curso en la Escuela Mission Hill. Después de una investigación de un año por parte del bufete de abogados Hinckley Allen, la firma descubrió que, como detalló el Boston Globe, que "la escuela puso en peligro y falló a los niños durante años al pasar por alto las denuncias de abuso sexual e intimidación y negligencia de los estudiantes con discapacidades".

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”.

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.

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 from feedback from the School Committee, the Superintendent and her team brought the budget for a vote.

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.

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.

Last night’s meeting kicked off the Fiscal Year 2023 budget process for Boston Public Schools.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.