Mayor Walsh, Boston School Committee announces superintendent search committee hearings

Today, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston School Committee announced the upcoming dates for public hearings to engage the community in the search for a Boston Public Schools (BPS) superintendent.

"Boston parents, students and other stakeholders have shared valuable thoughts and suggestions as we begin the process of finding a permanent school superintendent," said Mayor Walsh. "Engaging these voices is a fundamental step in this search, and our selection should be shaped by what our community believes that we need for our kids. Holding public hearings has been a successful tactic throughout my transition and in the early days of my administration. I look forward to hearing what our community members have to say as we begin to host these meetings."

Boston School Committee Chair Michael O’Neill said the Search Committee will finalize the Superintendent’s job description and begin the process of attracting highly qualified candidates. "These public hearings will allow for a wide range of input from the public at-large and from partners and groups that know our district well," O'Neill said. "The School Committee saw great public input during last year’s external advisory committee work on student assignment as well as the Committee’s work on strategic planning, so we know that thoughtful and deliberate feedback will be gained by holding these hearings."

"We will rely on community input to find the right person to lead our district," said Search Committee Co-Chair, Hardin Coleman. "The next superintendent must be someone who can work collaboratively with our parents, teachers, and students, as well as the greater nonprofit and business community, to give all of our children the opportunity to succeed."

"The number of hearings we will hold and their locations throughout Boston reflect our commitment to including as many perspectives as possible in this process," said Search Committee Co-Chair, Robert Gallery.

All hearings will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The hearing dates and locations include:

March 11 at WGBH in Brighton
March 19 at Harbor Middle School in Dorchester
March 20 at Orchard Gardens K-8 School in Roxbury
March 25 at the Dever-McCormack K-8 School in Dorchester
March 27 at East Boston High School in East Boston
March 31 at Washington Irving Middle School in Roslindale

In addition, the Search Committee is working with a series of youth organizations to plan a youth hearing. Details will be finalized in the coming days.

The Boston School Committee has hosted public roundtables to begin this process. The information gathered through these roundtables, combined with the information gathered at the upcoming hearings, will be compiled and incorporated into their long-term strategic vision for the search process. The School Committee has begun drafting aspirational goals, which are available online for public view: http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/1092.

The Superintendent Search Committee will be discussing the search firm at a public meeting on March 10, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Boston Public Schools central office (26 Court Street), in the Edward Winter Chamber. The Search Committee will then recommend a search firm to the Boston School Committee at their March 12 meeting. Three final candidates for School Superintendent will be presented to the School Committee in June.

On February 6, Mayor Walsh and the Boston School Committee announced the formation of a Superintendent Search Committee to spearhead this effort. On February 26 the School Committee approved the Superintendent Search Committee. The Committee is a group of respected individuals who represent the diversity of the City of Boston. Each possesses a deep knowledge of BPS, and the group represents a wide array of perspectives which include teachers, current and former school administrators, higher education leaders, parents, business and philanthropy. The Superintendent Search Committee is tasked with:

Recommending to the School Committee a national search firm to assist in the selection process;
Hosting these community meetings to solicit public input on the job description for the new superintendent;
Vetting and narrowing the pool of possible candidates presented by the search firm; and
Recommending three finalists for the new superintendent.