Ep. 36, Last Night @ School Committee: 8/4 Meeting Recap

Last Night At School Committee

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: [e-mail]
• Vice Chair Michael O’Neill: [e-mail]
• Dr. Hardin Coleman: [e-mail]
• Ernani DeAraujo: [e-mail]
• Quoc Tran: [e-mail]
• 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

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