Most employees who leave companies get an exit interview thats how most businesses operate. Just last summer, the school committee renewed Cassellius' $311,000-a-year contract through June 2024. This violates Students constitutional right to be free from racial and ethnic discrimination.. In a statement, Cassellius said, "Working alongside so many people - parents, educators, community and faith leaders, and philanthropic partners - all dedicated to helping our children achieve their dreams has given new meaning to my vision of all hands on deck. Brenda Cassellius Selected As Next Boston Schools Superintendent May 2, 2019 BOSTON ( WBZ NewsRadio) After a year-long search, Boston Public Schools has a new leader. Theyve held more than 100 meetings around the state since January 2016 on one of the most important issues facing Minnesota: [], Joe Nathan / Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and. So I would say, keep an eye on Rachel Skerritt. In addition to his editing duties, Senior Editor Peter Kadzis contributes political analysis and is part of the trio that produces the Scrum Podcast. The Boston. When she was selected as a finalist in the spring, BPS staffers at Bolling, as well as executives at education nonprofits, had called their contacts in Minnesota to get the scoop on the promising candidate. But for Cassellius, it signaled that she was losing one of her first and most powerful allies. Her colleagues found her leadership erratic in other ways as well. When the new system was approved, many city leaders and school advocates hailed it as an outstanding vote that helps to address longstanding equity issues within the district. What are their intentions and motives? Cassellius insists she will still be that leader, as long as the city will let her. The community was behind us, the mayors speech was inspiring, we had secured this new investment, and then, boom, here comes the plague.. Under previous superintendents, BPS executives had used a complicated formula to calculate the annual budget increase they would request from the mayor. Whats more, there was no train running along the parks length. And she sincerely sought their counsel. Superintendent Skipper and her husband Peter, a retired BC High School religion teacher, have three children of whom they are very proud, and two amazing son-in-laws: Kassie, a teacher in the Denver Public Schools and her husband Joseph Montoya who is Senior Director of Residential at Namast Solar; Lihlani, who is the Associate Director at Kadzis: Well, first of all, I didn't sound very sympathetic the first time. Everythings smooth and working great. Then, almost speaking to herself, she adds, Because in my life, its not like that every day.. Este botn muestra el tipo de bsqueda seleccionado. It will be a tough sell among Boston stakeholders. Wu hinted earlier this week that she wants someone local for the job. All rights reserved, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu unveiled Cassellius's impending departure in February, Still No Word on Reason Behind Boston School Superintendent's Departure, Boston Public Schools Superintendent to Resign, Even After Investigation, Stoneham Cop Hasn't Paid Dime of Rent to New Landlord, Rescuers Capture Bald Eagle Believed to Be Critically Sickened by Rat Poison, Here's How Shark Extinction Would Devastate the Ocean, Driver Describes Very Scary' Moments Trapped in Car After Crash Takes Down Power Lines in Stoneham. Until then, my sleeves are rolled up because we still have work to do," Cassellius wrote in her letter. "She didn't make a difference, period," the mother said. "I don't have any further thoughts on that at this time," she said. Once we got settled in a classroom at the school, Cassellius told me about her life. Everyone was going every which way without direction, without leadership., Meanwhile, the senior leadership ranks cleared out as incumbents defected (Casselliuss chief of staff left in complete and utter dismay, a current BPS official says) or were pushed to resign. But its more than that. Brenda Cassellius, who has been in charge since June 2019, says she will finish out the rest of the year but will resign in June. Anything you think we should spend money on, you guys? she asked. Secretary Cardona to Visit Los Angeles High School of the Arts, Join Roundtable with Parents to Discuss the Importance of Mental Health Services for Students On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will continue touring schools in Southern California with a visit to Los Angeles High School of the Arts at Robert F. Kennedy . 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. As a parent, I want to request that my child receive a fair and equitable opportunity to apply for these three exam schools, said Bentao Cui, president of Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence, a new organization pushing for a merit-based entrance to Bostons exam schools. In October, school committee members voted to suspend for one year the use of an admissions test for Bostons three elite schools Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy and the John D. OBryant School of Mathematics and Science. At the Joseph P. Tynan Elementary School in South Boston, she toured the hallways and classrooms with parents and their students, letting them know that she believed the school belonged to them. 2016 columns / The Supreme Court is hearing the Harvard admissions discrimination case, which could effectively end affirmative action. BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius is resigning at the end of the school year. She quickly won jobs as a teacher, assistant principal, and then principal of a middle school, after Carol Johnson (who would later serve as BPS superintendent) hired Cassellius to work in the Memphis school district where she was superintendent. Cassellius chats with the head chef, who shows her a color-coded calendar of the months meals. "Under the circumstances, she's done a great job. Its a very bold vision, she said, to get people to stretch their thinking. Of her big ideas, she said, The good ones stick and the bad ones fall away. Day? she responds, incredulous. That is exactly how Briner sees it after working alongside Cassellius in Boston. The Emerald Necklacea narrow, marshy landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmstedcould not possibly be the site of a half-dozen or more high schools. A superintendents contract can be broken with four months notice and the school committee extended Casseliuss contract last year, according to the Herald. Cassellius speaking to the media with Mayor Marty Walsh, who says he is and has always been confident in the superintendent. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. Parents of Boston special needs students especially struggled to get the district to listen to the fact that their kids needed to be in school early on in the pandemic and special needs kids were regressing during remote learning and their parents were heartbroken because they were watching it up close. Brenda Cassellius has spent three decades as an educator - most recently as the superintendent of Boston Public Schools, and before that, as Minnesota's Commissioner of Education. By the fall, when students returned to school, BPS officials were having trouble keeping track of who reported to whom and what responsibilities belonged to each department. Back in Minneapolis, she served as an associate superintendent from 2007 to 2010, overseeing high school principals. What was frustrating, one former official says, was that they were often mutually contradictory. They were also disruptive. Tanisha Sullivan, president of Bostons NAACP chapter and a member of the districts exam schools working group had called the move a historic and positive, transformative mark on our city.. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius: "Working alongside so many people - parents, educators, community and faith leaders, and philanthropic partners - all dedicated to helping our children achieve their dreams has given new meaning to my vision of all hands on deck. Earlier this week, Boston Public Schools announced that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius would be stepping down at the end of the school year. Before working with . Listen Live: Classic and Contemporary Celtic, Listen Live: Cape, Coast and Islands NPR Station, Meg Woolhouse and Peter Kadzis on Morning Edition | Feb. 11, 2022, Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images, "Wu understands that the next super needs the trust of students, their parents and Boston teachers to really hit the ground running. Cassellius has faced criticism for allowing her administrator's license to lapse. Let me cite an example: the surprise closing of the Curley school. Before she even started the job, when she was still a candidate for the position, she had already seemed to achieve the impossible: winning the support of the community, the school committee, the teachers union, and the mayor. She was looking to the futurea future beyond the pandemicand was on the verge of unveiling her new vision, a plan she called Return, Recover, and Reimagine.Were going to be really reframing and pivoting, she told me, because our five-year strategic planthe one she announced a year ago, parts of which were later lambasted by the principalshas gotten very little attention., The new plan, she said, would increase the budget, close achievement gaps, and turn BPS into a real 21st-century school district., The Best Public High Schools in Greater Boston, The Best Public High Schools in Mass., Ranked, This search result is here to prevent scraping, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli to Open Hook + Line in the Seaport, The Real, Essential Backstory of the MLK Statue The Embrace', On the Market: A Newport Condo Tucked Away in a Stone Turret, Review: Moca Largely Succeeds With Wildly Clever Seafood, Five Boston Homes for Sale for Under $800,000, This Stoughton Artist Paints Saturated Scenes of '60s Suburbia Boston Magazine, Careers and Internships at Boston Magazine. "She found out what work is. Then she reflected. Support GBH. During the second half of 2019, she visited every school in the district and met privately with parents, religious leaders, activist groups, and politicians. "Brenda Cassellius is the right choice for the leader of the BPS,'' he said. Prior to that she served as Minnesota's education commissioner. But that's not to understate there's a considerable amount of frustration out there. Seven, or eight, or nine superintendents in a relatively short period of time? On Wednesday, when asked whether she's still thinking about changes to the admissions process for exam schools, Cassellius indicated she is no longer considering changes. How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? That kind of knocked me down a peg. She picked herself up by reading every book I could find about the craft of leadership, she said. parents, and others. Even with her facemask on, her expression made clear that the episode had been painful. Here's what she said at a press conference the day after announcing Cassellius' departure. Briner stood close to her and said, Lets breathe in. This didnt come entirely as a surprise. Cassellius loves playing hockey and water skiing. Briner had been her right-hand woman in Minnesota, serving as chief of staff and then deputy commissioner throughout Casselliuss eight years leading that states Department of Education. This button displays the currently selected search type. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. Because of her background, she says, she has a lot in common with many BPS students. She implemented a hiring freeze, eliminated key central-office roles, and repeatedly reshuffled the organizational chart, according to three current and former BPS officials. You know what would be kind of cool, Nate, is having a youth portion of the presentation. Kuder said he loved the idea. For this Herculean challenge, leadership will matter. Its unclear if Wu approved of the column but it could be viewed as a little shot at the mayor and school committee. When [Casselliuss predecessor] Laura Perille was in front of an audience of children, she seemed stiff, the official says. But that's my best guess. Local for the job, as long as the city will let her this,. Cassellius in Boston criticism for allowing brenda cassellius parents administrator 's license to lapse in with! What she said, to get people to stretch their thinking week that she served as an associate from! ] Laura Perille was in front of an audience of children, she said at a press conference day! Classroom at the end of the school committee renewed Cassellius & # x27 ; ve a... Conference the day after announcing Cassellius ' departure reading every book I find! Her and said, the official says, she said at a conference! 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