Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. In our conversations, Cassellius seemed to ask for two things: time and skepticism of her critics. When you are disrupting the status quo with an anti-racist lens, as an African-American woman, you have to think about the motives of why people might be criticizing the ideas and the disruption that Im making so that underserved children can be served better and to create opportunity and access. Then she reflected. However, on Tuesday Dr. Cassellius sent her letter of resignation to Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. After two-and-a-half turbulent years as superintendent of Boston Public Schools, Brenda Cassellius will resign in June, city officials announced Monday. Aaliyah Hodge, Birchview Elementary School, Brenda Cassellius, Catalina Anampa, Chris Williams, Daniel Sellers, DaVimci Academy of the ARts, Debra Lach, Denise Rodriguez, Denise Specht, Don Sinner, Ed Allies. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. AN EDUCATION CAREER Cassellius spent her early career as a single mom. Meg Woolhouse is GBH News' K-12 education reporter. Wu hinted earlier this week that she wants someone local for the job. Its that she was falling apart., In October 2019, Cassellius reached for a lifeline, hiring Charlene Briner as her new chief of staff. When [Casselliuss predecessor] Laura Perille was in front of an audience of children, she seemed stiff, the official says. February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM She sees something and she does it. Casselliuss decisiveness and big ideas, however, sometimes ruffled the feathers of more traditional colleagues, Johnson says. After all, equity is her driving passion. 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. She even briefly served as a classroom teacher . This didnt come entirely as a surprise. As she traveled the city on her listening tour, Cassellius issued a flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained. Concerned parents want to know how dangerous it is inside the walls of Boston schools. What they heard was troubling: Cassellius lacked strong executive leadership and strategic planning skills. Photo by Matt Kalinowski. To some, the practical barriers to implementing the plan seemed nearly insurmountable. Cassellius speaking to the media with Mayor Marty Walsh, who says he is and has always been confident in the superintendent. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius held a press conference Tuesday, a day after announcing Cassellius resignation. As the students offered suggestionsfree menstrual products, cleaner bathrooms, improved ventilationCassellius had her executives take notes. 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.. She has previously served as an assistant superintendent at North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale School District and Saint Paul Public Schools. Cassellius has come to Lee this morning to check on the work being done inside the cafeteriaa space as wide and tall as a gymnasiumwhere a dozen or so chefs are busily prepping packaged meals and bags of groceries. Joe Nathan / 2018 Columns / Blue Ribbon Schools, Brenda Cassellius, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota . And we want to see all the dirty details including money figures of the separation agreement Cassellius now must sign. But mostly the Boston Latin School. Brenda Cassellius has been criticized for her job thus far as superintendent of Boston Public Schools, though her supporters say she deserves time and a chance to implement her vision. Thatd be pretty powerful, Cassellius said. 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. 'Substantial snowfall' likely for parts of Massachusetts, as meteorologists track wintry mix, Howie Carr: The kinked grocery cart under Biden's America, Hire at Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office loses job after old racist, sexist tweets emerge, Patriots slammed in NFLPA survey about team facilities, player working conditions, Boston Police seize 37 dirt bikes and mopeds, recover fentanyl and guns, and arrest 4 after 'illegal drag racing' investigation, Student loan debt cancellation could be on thin ice as Supreme Court takes up case, Massachusetts lawmakers push for relief, Milton asks governor to stop demolition of broken MBTA station staircase, Black WWII vets denied G.I. Students in the zip code with the lowest family income will be placed first. ", In a statement, the mayor said she was "grateful for the Superintendent's leadership, especially while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.". We will remember him forever. It worked. 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. 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. She has overseen defections and ousters among her senior executives, a revolt from school principals, and public excoriation from influential nonprofits and activists. Everythings smooth and working great. Then, almost speaking to herself, she adds, Because in my life, its not like that every day.. The Emerald Necklacea narrow, marshy landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmstedcould not possibly be the site of a half-dozen or more high schools. What's the mood among parents and students over this announcement? She was just four months into her job as superintendent and had a bold idea she wanted to share. Massachusetts could get another snowstorm Friday: What areas were the jackpot zones in this past storm? She was named superintendent in May 2019 by then-Mayor Marty Walsh. 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. In a couple of hours, Boston Public Schools families will begin lining up at the door of the school, which has been turned into a food-distribution site. 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. She also served as a principal in the states of Minnesota and Georgia. Woolhouse: Well, it actually made me think she already has someone in mind. But she knows where she is. Big changes and bold visions were called for. Hey Marcus, what you got going on these days?. The tour earned her a lot of goodwill. Do you mind if I run a tape recorder throughout the day? I ask her. Kadzis: Henry, let me make an educated guess, and this is based on calling around yesterday and talking to people. Her husband Jason is a stay-at-home dad. 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. This new official will be more senior than Casselliuss chief operations officer, the mayor said, and will have a broad scope of operations duties, including school facilities, transportation, and food. Walsh added he is confident in Cassellius and always has been. Brophy might have seen it this way, too. Santoro: Meg, it seems clear that parents want and actually need a level of stability considering the pandemic, the turnover of superintendents. It was the early 70s and people werent too nice to biracial children., Cassellius started her career as a special-education paraprofessional and soon rocketed up the ranks. 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. Throughout her tenure as superintendent, Cassellius has seemed happiestand told her colleagues shes happiestwhen she is in schools and with children. The column gave a good glimpse of some of the real problems facing school systems like Boston. If Casselliuss critics are wrong about her, then this is how: She has arrived in an institutionally conservative city that has a well-documented skepticism of outsiders. Cassellius added that theres nothing wrong with showing vulnerability by crying. Go Blue! The Boston School Committee announced last week that Dr. Brenda Cassellius will serve as Boston's next superintendent. If we heard this plan two or three months ago, we may have said, Lets all work toward this, said Shah Family Foundation executive director Ross Wilson, whose organization works closely with BPS, on a podcast the next day. / CBS Boston. It began when the new superintendent came to town. According to a person who spoke with him multiple times in August, the COO said, in colorful language, that Casselliuss teams preparations were so far behind schedule that it would require drastic measures to open school buildings in time. When Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius resigns at the end of the school year, she'll take with her hundreds of thousands of dollars from a separation agreement. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. Woolhouse: The pandemic, I think it's been a very rough ride for her. In a letter to "the BPS community" this morning, Mayor Wu said she, School Committee Chairwoman Jeri Robinson and Cassellius decided it was time for Cassellius to move on. This year, in addition to giving thanks to God and [], Joe Nathan / I was such a go-getter, she told me, and confident and, you know, dig in. But BPS staffers and observers perceived Brophys work as an emergency rescue mission. And that was before the pandemic hit, turning the district and her job upside down. Three months into her first term, Wu will now search for a permanent leader to take over atop the city's public schools at the same time that she is engaged in the process of appointing the Boston Police Department's next commissioner. When she arrived here in the spring of 2019, she inherited a system plagued by underperforming schools, yawning achievement gaps between Black and white students, decrepit infrastructure, and a distrustful relationship with the community it must serve. Just to cite one example, she's run through four chiefs of staff in two years. The plan was opposed by some parent groups that wanted 20 percent of the spots at the schools set aside for the best applicants regardless of socioeconomic status. 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 . See all the student videos on the Dual High School/College Credit page. She has one of the highest-stakes jobs in Boston, and the second-hardest job in the city after mayor, one source told me. She did not say why she is leaving. BPS officials stress that the superintendent had every right to put her own team in place. Santoro: Peter, as we said at the top, the pandemic has not made the position of superintendent easy by any stretch. The Boston School Committee extended their agreement in June 2021, reports WGBH. The superintendent was about to go into a meeting and she was falling apart, the official says. For the next hour, she listened warmly and keenly to the advice of her most important constituentsstudents. She was also a finalist for a state superintendent job in Michigan. Somebody who's passionate about helping inner city kids," said Yonathan Fassil, whose child goes to Boston Latin School. Some zip codes, such as Chinatown, Beacon Hill and West Roxbury will have less exam school seats while other neighborhoods that are typically disadvantaged such as Dorchester and Mattapan, will get more. It was so fun to see Tou again in new employee orientation "It does make for a difficult start to the day," she said. 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. We had all this wind under our wings, she says. The Supreme Court is hearing the Harvard admissions discrimination case, which could effectively end affirmative action. We took a look at her responses in multiple interviews with Boston education leaders, her extensive background in education leadership, and her plans for Boston Public Schools, to uncover how she will shape the next generation of Boston's young scholars. 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. Building consensus, he notes, is a long, agonizing process. Alexi is from Springfield, Massachusetts and attended college at Hofstra University in New York where she majored in journalism and Spanish. The mayor and Cassellius say they arrived at the decision to have Brophy help BPS together. Her mother's name is unknown, as well as her father's. Brenda graduated from high school in Minnesota and went onto the University of Minnesota-Twin City, where she earned a bachelor's psychology degree. 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. Subordinates would scramble to respond to her proposals, pulling staff away from the business of running the school district. Will she bring in someone local like they're talking about? Without Charlene, I dont think Brenda would have survived., In the months that followed, Briner helped prop Cassellius up, sometimes almost literally. On Twitter, Brenda has 9,689 followers on her @bcassellius account. She is confronting an entrenched bureaucracy that wants to pursue incrementalism, rather than radical reform, and she is determined to shake the cobwebs free. But why stop there? Her resignation. In some cases, that lack of attention paid off. But that's not to understate there's a considerable amount of frustration out there. Cassellius, who was pursuing several jobs at the time, said she felt especially drawn to the Hub. The discovery of a gun at a South Boston school on Friday along with the vicious attack on a principal a few months ago showed the school system has a long way to go at protecting kids and teachers from violence. And she sincerely sought their counsel. Cassellius informed Boston students, parents, and staff in a letter Monday, saying she . For the next eight years, she served as Minnesotas commissioner of education. "My hands - and my heart - will be fully committed to BPS until it is time to pass the baton. In Minnesota, he explained, he and Cassellius shared a frustration that an entrenched bureaucracy stood in the way of bold change. Cassellius came to Boston less than a year before the pandemic began,. A lot of the most energetic discussion have been around the admissions policies of the city's top three exam schools. . 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. Let me cite an example: the surprise closing of the Curley school. Per her contract, Casselius must be paid a years base salary, or the rest of what she would have been paid, had she stayed until 2023, whichever is less. Its been, what? Join us. But when youre in charge of a school district for more than 50,000 students, being nice isnt enough to prevent us from being honest that shes not getting the job done.. In 2021, school districts will face the daunting task of repairing the damage sustained during the pandemicparticularly for low-income children of color who have borne the brunt of the school shutdowns. That was a marked departure for her and showed a little independence. She has said to me that she hires people based on familiarity and trust, says Edith Bazile, a former president of the Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts who has worked closely with Cassellius on a volunteer basis. Boston Superintendent Brenda Cassellius helped dismiss children at the Nathan Hale Elementary School in Boston after substitute teaching there on Jan. 5, 2022. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. As CFO Nate Kuder completed a preview of the public budget presentation he would give in February, Cassellius proposed an idea. Casselliuss staffers were stunned that she believed it was possible to shut down two school buildings in a matter of weeks, when that process normally took years. At the same time, not everyone agrees with this renderinga soaring start to her superintendency derailed by a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe. But plans and strategies have to be tethered to reality, says one former BPS official, and that just doesnt include an imaginary train taking kids around a city to schools that dont exist.. Cassellius has barely stopped moving since. She has always wanted to be a teacher and instruct pupils. I had never met with a school superintendent, says Matthew Thompson, pastor of Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan, the biggest Protestant church in New England. You have a vision, according to the official. 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. Covered spot news and enterprise stories, primarily in education, crime, human services . 2016 columns / Cassellius, the former Minnesota Commissioner of Education, was selected superintendent in 2019 by the Boston School Committee. I think Wu understands that the next super needs the trust of students, their parents and Boston teachers to really hit the ground running. But for Cassellius, it signaled that she was losing one of her first and most powerful allies. First published on February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. Meg Woolhouse: Well, Henry, I think there's a lot of optimism around Wu she's a mother of two young kids who are in the schools in Boston, and I think people feel like she might be able to fix what's broken at BPS. Cuando se ampla, se proporciona una lista de opciones de bsqueda para que los resultados coincidan con la seleccin actual. A group of Boston parents has filed a lawsuit against the school committee and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius for what they call a "wholly-irrational" exam school admissions process, which. When I asked Mayor Walsh about this effort, he said it would be false to characterize the role explored over the summer as a checkmate to Brenda. However, he said that as of December, Cassellius was seeking to hire a new operations director. Cassellius had the political acumen necessary to be successful in Boston and also understood the critical role of educational equity and the needs of Black and brown students, as well as low-income students and English-language learners.. Brenda runs down the aisle giving high-fives and the kids eat it up. Santoro: So is this a wait and see thing now? If she appeared harried outside, coming off her meetings and calls, she is now something much closer to jubilant. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. Sorry to keep you waiting, she says. We have $36 million outside of the normal cost.. In many ways, this was classic Cassellius, BPS insiders say. Sensing the COVID-induced hesitation in my voice, the superintendent, who spends a lot of time in the field and knows every school building in the district inside and out, quickly offered another option. 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. How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? She doesn't have heavy-duty system wide experience. 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. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. BOSTON The Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, Dr. Brenda Cassellius, has announced plans to resign after three years as leader of the state's largest school system and will address the decision in front of reporters at a news conference scheduled for 10:15 Tuesday morning. That left Brenda Cassellius as the default candidate and the darling of the teachers union. parents, and others. Speaking to a room full of staffers and principals, she explained her vision for the next generation of Bostons high schools. When Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius resigns at the end of the school year, she'll take with her hundreds of thousands of dollars from a separation agreement. For that kind of money, Boston parents and voters deserve a full accounting of what led to the mutual decision for Cassellius to depart. Brenda Cassellius Salary Details Revealed Brenda Cassellius' compensation is very high as she earns $311,000 every year. 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. Working with educators, parents, business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people throughout the United States. It was chaos, says a current BPS official. September 8, 2018 Will new reporting & school support systems help students? 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. Brenda Cassellius's husband is Jason Cassellius. As a leader, she said, its good for people to know that youre human., Casselliuss colleagues, and many of her sharpest critics, however, have never questioned her humanity. She paralyzes the organization through her incoherence, another former official says. We could use more of that honesty and advocacy for school children. Cassellius recently penned a column for The Washington Post about the teacher and staffing shortage plaguing the schools. Here's why. "We have come to this decision after careful deliberation, with mutual respect for all involved and an acknowledgment that there is much work still to be done this school year and beyond," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wrote in a letter to the school community. Santoro: If Rachel Skerritt is happy where she is, why would she even consider taking on this monstrosity? Let's focus on Marty Walsh, and the instability in the Boston Public Schools is clearly Marty Walsh's fault. 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. What are their intentions and motives? Transitions are difficult for kids and adults alike. "Dr. Cassellius articulated an inspiring, yet practical, vision of how she has been . Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year, roughly three years after she was hired away from Minnesota. Last but not the Kadzis: Well, first of all, I didn't sound very sympathetic the first time. The combination of all of these measures made principals heads spin. A group of Boston parents has filed a lawsuit against the school committee and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius for what they call a wholly-irrational exam school admissions process, which had recently undergone changes due to the pandemic. Santoro: People will welcome the challenge. "She found out what work is. Its a gray and frigid morning in Dorchester when Brenda Cassellius bounds toward me on the front lawn of Joseph Lee K8 School. They love her.. Brenda married her partner in life Jason Cassellius, they lived together and had three children, Christian Michel, Ani Grace and Charles Justice. Dr. Brenda Cassellius has spent three decades as an educator devoted to helping all children succeed and thrive. Because of her background, she says, she has a lot in common with many BPS students. - SEPTEMBER 9: Boston Schools Superintendent Brenda. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. Last month, she filled in at Nathan Hale School as a substitute fourth grade teacher for a day. During the second half of 2019, she visited every school in the district and met privately with parents, religious leaders, activist groups, and politicians. 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. That was triggered by parents who had been keeping a close watch, a much closer watch than the city had. Series III Reading. . Near the end of our final interview, during which I detailed her critics charges, Cassellius cut me off. Publicly, at least, Cassellius still had the backing of the two allies she needed most: the school committee and City Hall. It caught me off guard, Cassellius admitted during the interview in a BPS classroom. BOSTON Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year. Peter Kadzis, GBH senior politics editor, and Meg Woolhouse, GBH education reporter, joined host Henry Santoro on Morning Edition to discuss. That's not out-front administration. For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. ", 'Heartbroken' by the tragedy of war, a Ukrainian opera singer performs in Belmont, Healey's proposed budget a boon to education and the environment, Senate confirms first Hispanic judge to Massachusetts federal court, The woman who introduced MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott lies in an unmarked grave in Boston, The civil rights memorials that expose America's ugly history and warn of repeating the past. Was it the pandemic, which stalled Casselliuss agenda and turned her job into mission impossible? We couldn't do it without you. As we left Lee K-8, Casselliuss aide invited me back to the BPS central office for an interview. She has a deep gift for connecting with children, says a current BPS official who is critical of her leadership. Then, as a superintendent for the first time, she briefly led a two-school district. Boston schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will step down at the end of the school year, following a turbulent tenure marked by major disruptions in learning caused by the pandemic as well. Cassellius came to Boston less than a year before the pandemic began, forcing her to deal with several unexpected issues, including remote learning and mask and vaccination requirements, as well as staffing issues. And I started to do things where it wasnt just my idea, but everybodys idea.. 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. Often went unannounced and unexplained made me think she already has someone in mind hour. 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Of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained publicly, at least, Cassellius issued flurry. And keenly to the BPS central office for an interview least, Cassellius cut off! Covered spot news and enterprise stories, primarily in education, was selected superintendent in 2019 by the Boston Committee!