But hearing it 49 days before the school year starts doesnt give you much hope., The teachers union also criticized the plan, calling it totally out of touch with reality. In the midst of the pandemic, a teachers union taking a shot at a superintendent should be as shocking as an April snowstorm in Boston. For this Herculean challenge, leadership will matter. "I will be working in close partnership with the School Committee to move forward the search process for a permanent Superintendent. It is not hard to imagine how a person with this gift, as well as Casselliuss taste for disruptive, visionary thinking, could be a good fit for superintendent of BPS, a district thats long had a broken relationship with the community. Then she added an admonition: You need to grow in humility., Stung by the criticism despite the vote of confidence, Cassellius went home and cried. How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? She came under fire from some parents and teachers for her efforts to reopen the schools for in-person last fall. Here's what she said at a press conference the day after announcing Cassellius' departure. Boston Superintendent Brenda Cassellius helped dismiss children at the Nathan Hale Elementary School in Boston after substitute teaching there on Jan. 5, 2022. On July 22, less than a week after the principals letter was made public, Cassellius appeared, via Zoom, before the school committee to present a draft of BPSs reopening plan. 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. Strike a blow for transparency for once. Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams is the current superintendent of Eastern Carver County Schools in Chaska, MN. Dr. Cassellius wrote she will transition out of her role as superintendent at the end of the 2021/2022 school year. According to five current and former BPS officials, she often appeared to make snap decisions, seemingly without contemplating their ramifications. The community was behind us, the mayors speech was inspiring, we had secured this new investment, and then, boom, here comes the plague.. They love her.. Then she reflected. The plan, which was pursued without Casselliuss knowledge, was never consummated. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said she supported the change because it is easy to understand, maintains academic rigor, and increases the opportunity for disadvantaged students. As she traveled the city on her listening tour, Cassellius issued a flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained. 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. The tour earned her a lot of goodwill. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year, bringing to an end a three-year tenure marked by COVID-19 upheaval and leaving Boston's new mayor with major decisions on the education and policing fronts. Its unclear if Wu approved of the column but it could be viewed as a little shot at the mayor and school committee. She has worked arduously to reach her dream of becoming a successful teacher. These nurses were the front line of fighting COVID. But BPS staffers and observers perceived Brophys work as an emergency rescue mission. Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius will leave her post at the end of the school year. 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. But even if the consequences of the pandemic are not Casselliuss responsibility, the recovery from it will be. That's not out-front administration. It was a flight of fancy, one former principal says. Working with educators, parents, business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people throughout the United States. The warnings that a recession may occur continues but fears that it will happen in 2023 are fading. The Boston Public School Committee is expected to sign a separation agreement Wednesday to give Cassellius at least $311,000, the Boston Herald reported. But it shows that her top allies confidence in her was rapidly eroding. 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. You have a vision, according to the official. I paused. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. She had been sitting in her car for the past 45 minutes, she explains, on a conference call with other big-city superintendents brainstorming ways to reopen schools in the middle of a pandemic. Brenda Cassellius, the head of BPS, has a vision for the future unlike any superintendent the city has ever encountered. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. The new schools, she said, would be built alongor on top of, it wasnt exactly clearthe Emerald Necklace, the winding park running through central Boston. It was so fun to see Tou again in new employee orientation Unfortunately, Superintendent Cassellius did not meet it. Meg Woolhouse is GBH News' K-12 education reporter. Over the next 15 years, her career remained on a steady ascent. As the students offered suggestionsfree menstrual products, cleaner bathrooms, improved ventilationCassellius had her executives take notes. It worked. Cassellius's name on the list is no surprise, since she has publicly shared her interest in the job. Boston parent group suing school committee for, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Boston parent group suing school committee for new exam school admissions process, Boston looks to continue remote testimony for public meetings, Special Olympics grant brings the magic of inclusive sports to BPS schools, 98.5 employees had their sensitivity training after Tony Massarotti suspension, Mike Felger rants about people getting fired over a bad comment, Heres what Maura Healeys $55.5 billion budget buys, Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence. The Boston School Committee extended their agreement in June 2021, reports WGBH. Casselius is the second BPS superintendent to leave after three years on the job. Back in the cafeteria, before we leave, she nods with approval as an administrator explains the schools grocery-distribution system. She did not say why she is leaving. They did not. Josh Collins, Education Evolving, Education Minnesota, EdVisions Schools, Friendship Academy of the Arts, Jensen family, Julene Oxton, Kenneth Eban, Larry Pogemiller, Lars Esdal, Lisa Snyder, Lynn Nordgren, MAAP STARS Conference, Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Nell Collier, Patti Haasch, Rep Roz Peterson, Rep. Carlos Mariani, Rep. Jenifer Loon, Rep. Linda Slocum, Rep. Sondra Erickson, Sam Fredrickson, Sandy Connoly, Sen. Greg Clausen, Steve Allen, Students for Education Reform-Minnesota, Westra family / 1 Comment, This column originally was published by a series of ECM/Sun/Current Newspapers in late November, 2017 Thanks to passionate, practical families, students and educators Joe Nathan One of Americas finest traditions encourages us to pause late in the year, regardless of current controversies, to offer thanks. In mid-summer, City Hall and school committee officials called several current and former BPS staffers. Leading for equity, Dr.. This button displays the currently selected search type. Alexi is from Springfield, Massachusetts and attended college at Hofstra University in New York where she majored in journalism and Spanish. 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. The plaintiffs are asking the court to prevent admissions decisions from being made under the new system and to prohibit the district from using a zip code system as a factor in future admissions decisions. CSC Projects: Completed and Current: 2022, Dramatically Reducing Minnesota Student/Family Homelessness, Promoting/Encouraging Greater Use of Service-Learning, Increasing College Readiness 2015-present, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (English y Espaol), Map of MN Higher Ed Dual Credit Policies & PSEO Sites, Student Voices Real Dual Credit Students, New High School/Higher Ed. Cassellius will step down at the end of the school year, bringing to an end a three-year tenure marked by COVID-19 upheaval and leaving Boston's new mayor with major decisions on the education and policing fronts. Cuando se ampla, se proporciona una lista de opciones de bsqueda para que los resultados coincidan con la seleccin actual. There'll be other people considered. Cassellius has faced criticism for allowing her administrator's license to lapse. Thatd be pretty powerful, Cassellius said. But why stop there? And that's really taken up all the air in the room, so to speak. Here are some entertainment opinions that you can follow: Guests manage to have a better time when entertainment involves actions they can be instantly linked in. would be stepping down at the end of the school year, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius to step down, Boston Public School students walk out, call for remote learning, COVID-19 outbreak at Curley School 'caught us by surprise,' says Boston Public Schools superintendent, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at GBH, Transparency in Coverage Cost-Sharing Disclosures. For the next eight years, she served as Minnesotas commissioner of education. Concerned parents want to know how dangerous it is inside the walls of Boston schools. During her early tenure, staffers at the central office found the new superintendent to be more drawn to splashy proposals than to the grinding back-office work they believed was required to solve the districts problems. Despite Casselliuss public victories, though, BPS officials were alarmed by the mounting evidence that she was an ineffective administrator. Then, throughout the day, the students would shuttle between buildings on a train. She did not say why she is leaving. MS Word MS WORDPDF PDFView FileMS WordFebruary 16, 2012Dr. Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images By Meg Woolhouse Peter Kadzis Henry Santoro February 11, 2022 Morning Edition Share Email Facebook Listen 8:10 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. Hi, Wellington. It's a sense among parents of "here we go again" and that might even understate the level of aggravation they're feeling. She asked me what I would do if I was superintendent. Meanwhile, she funneled what she had learned on her listening tour into a strategic vision plan that laid out a roadmap for BPSs next five years. As this story went to print, Cassellius was preparing for a virtual retreat with the school committee. She paralyzes the organization through her incoherence, another former official says. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. I want you to run academics for Memphis middle schools, Johnson told Cassellius, assuring her she could handle the job overseeing 31 principals, many of them decades older than her. Cassellius added that theres nothing wrong with showing vulnerability by crying. The staffers, all veterans of public school administration in Boston and beyond, listened closely. Parents Evaluation. Both her father's name and her mothers are unknown. 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 What's the mood among parents and students over this announcement? The pandemic impacted us all, including our workforce. 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. She fell afoul of the powers that be when she made it clear that she thought they had to close schools to make running the system more efficient. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. To some, the practical barriers to implementing the plan seemed nearly insurmountable. "The Boston Teachers Union is thankful to Dr. Brenda Cassellius for her contributions to our public schools during what have been incredibly trying and unprecedented times," union president Jessica Tang said in a statement. Even though it is a Wednesday morning, Lee K8, a sprawling red-brick building standing behind us, is mostly empty, staffed by a skeleton crew and completely devoid of children. Current and former BPS officials came to believe that the root causes of Casselliuss scattershot ideas were her lack of attention to detail and short attention span. . The trouble, according to interviews with 14 current and former BPS officials who have worked directly with Cassellius, and who spoke anonymously for fear of professional consequences, didnt start with the pandemic. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. "She didn't make a difference, period," the mother said. But it's not the only issue here. Go Blue! Its that she was falling apart., In October 2019, Cassellius reached for a lifeline, hiring Charlene Briner as her new chief of staff. Shes scattered, she struggles with talent management, and she doesnt provide a clear vision., Those traits were on full display once she arrived in Boston. Brenda's parents have always been supportive of her professional endeavors. After all, equity is her driving passion. Transitions are difficult for kids and adults alike. This year, in addition to giving thanks to God and [], Joe Nathan / Somebody who's passionate about helping inner city kids," said Yonathan Fassil, whose child goes to Boston Latin School. Brophy might have seen it this way, too. And I started to do things where it wasnt just my idea, but everybodys idea.. We talked about that challenge routinely, he said. She had a habit, seven current and former officials say, of tossing out big ideas that were often unrealistic and did not appear connected to any coherent plan. 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.. BOSTON Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius on Tuesday addressed her planned resignation at the end of the academic year but did not give a reason for her departure.. She has a deep gift for connecting with children, says a current BPS official who is critical of her leadership. It was like out of a movie, the official says, like she was propping up the queen who you know is not up to the task., Briner said she did not recall this specific episode but that the comments sounded like something she would say to any colleague going through a difficult moment., In an interview in a BPS classroom, Cassellius dismissed her critics as disgruntled employees. Sweet potato fries! Cassellius says, pointing at the calendar. Battenfeld: Boston parents and kids deserve a truthful accounting from Superintendent Brenda Cassellius Start the conversation BOSTON MA. Yes, she is still wearing pumps. 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. People felt heard. She was named superintendent in May 2019 by then-Mayor Marty Walsh. 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