Photo by Matt Kalinowski. 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. The Boston School Committee announced last week that Dr. Brenda Cassellius will serve as Boston's next superintendent. She did not say why she is leaving. Bill would see benefits restored by Seth Moulton bill, 98.5 employees had their sensitivity training after Tony Massarotti suspension, Mike Felger rants about people getting fired over a 'bad comment', Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment. Shes had an extraordinarily difficult maiden year as superintendent, and I think shes performed remarkably well under the circumstances. But, he adds, There have been times when Brenda had such a bold vision that its overwhelming to people. It wasnt long before the principals made their dismay painfully public. It is tradition for the President to recognize special guests during the State of the Union address each year. Woolhouse: Well, that's a great question. Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! As she traveled the city on her listening tour, Cassellius issued a flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained. The district is primarily Black and Latino, and parents have been promised much over the years and bore the brunt of the pandemic illnesses and job losses. She walked into the mayors office, asked for $100 million, and got it. The Emerald Necklacea narrow, marshy landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmstedcould not possibly be the site of a half-dozen or more high schools. Reading Sage MCAS Practice Test. 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. Throughout her tenure as superintendent, Cassellius has seemed happiestand told her colleagues shes happiestwhen she is in schools and with children. 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. 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. Sweet potato fries! Cassellius says, pointing at the calendar. 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. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. It's a sense among parents of "here we go again" and that might even understate the level of aggravation they're feeling. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. This didnt come entirely as a surprise. I need to come hang out here more often, she says. "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. How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? 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. 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. But we can assume it will be at least 18 months and possibly two years left on her contract, which could give her a payout of up to $600.000. The swiftness of criticism, she told me, and the willingness to condemn, its something uniquely Boston. The Boston Public School Committee is expected to sign a separation agreement Wednesday to give Cassellius at least $311,000, the Boston Herald reported. In July 2020, they wrote Cassellius a letterwhich was leaked to the Boston Globeexcoriating her redesign proposal as a top-down exercise in poor planning that is divorced from any authentic analysis of data, lacks major details that must be thought through prior to implementation, [and] ignores years of studies about BPS high schools and the complex issues they face.. Building consensus, he notes, is a long, agonizing process. Cassellius has barely stopped moving since. So she's been tested by fire. She does not seek out people, Bazile says, who are going to push her, interrogate her process, and ask provocative questions., Even more unnerving was the growing sense among BPS staffers that Cassellius herself realized she was in over her head. She was just four months into her job as superintendent and had a bold idea she wanted to share. It began when the new superintendent came to town. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. Cassellius, who was pursuing several jobs at the time, said she felt especially drawn to the Hub. She is too focused on big-picture plans, Bazile says, and she does not have the leadership tools to put in place policies that are going to make those plans actually occur in reality. It creates a level of desperation, Bazile adds, because we cant lose this generation., On the afternoon of November 13, I joined a Zoom call with Cassellius, her chief financial officer, her chief operations officer, and some of her favorite people in the district: her cabinet of student advisers. "I don't have any further thoughts on that at this time," she said. When Cassellius arrived in Boston to vie for the BPS top job, she pitched herself as a deft political operator laser-focused on equity. As this story went to print, Cassellius was preparing for a virtual retreat with the school committee. Her heart is in the right place and I believe deeply she is a good person, says a former BPS official. "She found out what work is. But it's not the only issue here. The people I spoke to who had no inside knowledge. It does not seem that there is any appetite to give people room to prove themselves., If Cassellius shares that sentiment, she was too diplomatic, in most of our conversations, to say so. 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.. Hey Marcus, what you got going on these days?. Let's focus on Marty Walsh, and the instability in the Boston Public Schools is clearly Marty Walsh's fault. February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM I'm a little sympathetic the second time. . In meetings, she often broke down in tears and said she felt overwhelmed, according to three people who witnessed these episodes. But it shows that her top allies confidence in her was rapidly eroding. "My hands - and my heart - will be fully committed to BPS until it is time to pass the baton. Last but not the According to four current and former BPS officials, she has offered multiple BPS employees significant promotions seemingly on a whim, with little knowledge of their track records. But she knows where she is. The district has seen four different people leading the city schools in the last 10 years. Just last summer, the school committee renewed Cassellius' $311,000-a-year contract through June 2024. Let me cite an example: the surprise closing of the Curley school. We talked about that challenge routinely, he said. 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. The daughter of a young single mother who later became a young single mother herself, Cassellius grew up on food stamps in the projects of Minneapolis and participated in a Head Start program.. In Boston, where more than 54,000 students returned to class on Tuesday following the holiday, Superintendent of Schools Brenda Cassellius told reporters there were 1,000 staff members out, including 461 teachers and 52 bus drivers. 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. Once, in August 2019, Cassellius returned to the Bolling Building in tears from a visit to the McKinley South End Academy, which was housed in a decrepit building. A lot of the most energetic discussion have been around the admissions policies of the city's top three exam schools. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. The. But for Cassellius, it signaled that she was losing one of her first and most powerful allies. However, out of public view, their support was wavering. Despite Casselliuss public victories, though, BPS officials were alarmed by the mounting evidence that she was an ineffective administrator. Brenda Cassellius. Who is giving that criticism? she asked me. Then, throughout the day, the students would shuttle between buildings on a train. MCA Reading Test Vocabulary Flashcards Quizlet. Cassellius will likely be muzzled under a non-disclosure agreement when she leaves, but it would be nice if she spilled details of her brief time as superintendent on the way out. A bitter irony of 2020 is that even if you believe, as Casselliuss critics do, that she mismanaged the coronavirus response, it is not clear how much it mattered. You have a vision, according to the official. She succeeded Tommy Chang who resigned after three years. For that kind of money, Boston parents and voters deserve a full accounting of what led to the mutual decision for Cassellius to depart. Thanks to passionate, practical parents, students and educators, Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs, MDE offers great opportunities to help develop education plans, School Safety Technical Assistance Center, US Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students, Massive misunderstanding or classic bait and switch. Support GBH. She was also a finalist for a state superintendent job in Michigan. Cassellius took the top job in Boston eight months before the pandemic prompted a shift to remote learning that has since transmuted into staffing shortages, mask mandates and other complicated issues. ", In a statement, the mayor said she was "grateful for the Superintendent's leadership, especially while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.". When you are really smart and your mind is moving a lot, sometimes you have to take the time to pause and hear from others., Carol Johnson saw both promise and room for growth in Cassellius. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year in June, closing out a turbulent three-year tenure overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, in. 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. . BPS was a troubled district; that was no secret. 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. "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. 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. Both her father's name and her mothers are unknown. On an unseasonably warm day in October 2019, Brenda Cassellius took the floor during a meeting at the Bolling Building, BPSs headquarters in Nubian Square. 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. Until then, my sleeves are rolled up because we still have work to do," Cassellius wrote in her letter. During the second half of 2019, she visited every school in the district and met privately with parents, religious leaders, activist groups, and politicians. Dr. Brenda Cassellius has spent three decades as an educator devoted to helping all children succeed and thrive. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Parents have seen at least a decade of turmoil, as you said, with a revolving door of superintendents and interim superintendents. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Kadzis: She would like the challenge and being head of school at Boston Latin School hasn't exactly been the bed of roses either. However, she was Carol Johnson's chief of staff, a former superintendent. For the next hour, she listened warmly and keenly to the advice of her most important constituentsstudents. 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. There have even been rumblings that she may not last much longer in her position. People felt heard. The problem was the timeline: She wanted it done now, before the new school year began the following month. For this Herculean challenge, leadership will matter. 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. Thats exactly what Boston needed, says Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston chapter of the NAACP. For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. "I will be working in close partnership with the School Committee to move forward the search process for a permanent Superintendent. School officials under Walsh tightly controlled the search process when Cassellius was hired and now the school committee says it wont divulge details of the separation agreement until next month. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. The windows open there. Before her aide could object, she was off. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. But that's my best guess. 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. It is tradition for the President to recognize special guests during the State of the Union address each year. 2018 Columns / When [Casselliuss predecessor] Laura Perille was in front of an audience of children, she seemed stiff, the official says. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. 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. Dismayed by the prospect of sending kids to school there, she asked her staff to find a way to close italong with another dilapidated school, the Jackson/Mannand send the students elsewhere. So what went wrong? 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. Get all the latest from Sanditon on GBH Passport, How one Brookline studio helps artists with disabilities thrive. 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. Cassellius informed Boston students, parents, and staff in a letter Monday, saying she . Brenda's parents have consistently encouraged her career goals. She is confronting an entrenched bureaucracy that wants to pursue incrementalism, rather than radical reform, and she is determined to shake the cobwebs free. The warnings that a recession may occur continues but fears that it will happen in 2023 are fading. And that's really taken up all the air in the room, so to speak. '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. Brenda runs down the aisle giving high-fives and the kids eat it up. And Ms. Cassellius has proven to be not a good administrator. Battenfeld: Boston parents and kids deserve a, 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), Battenfeld: Boston parents and kids deserve a truthful accounting from Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, Editorial: Focus should be on saving Social Security, Lucas: Heres hoping for a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024, Howie Carr: The kinked grocery cart under Bidens America, Woodward: Blame organized crime for shelves under lockdown. The Boston School Committee has voted to confirm Brenda Cassellius a career educator who rose from paraprofessional to state commissioner, mostly in Minnesota as the next superintendent of. It will be a tough sell among Boston stakeholders. Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams is the current superintendent of Eastern Carver County Schools in Chaska, MN. COVID was an incredible challenge. Cassellius, the former Minnesota Commissioner of Education, was selected superintendent in 2019 by the Boston School Committee. Cassellius often describes her plans for reform as bold, which is also a good descriptor of Cassellius herself. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 14 BPCAE families in U.S. District Court in Boston on Friday. September 8, 2018 Will new reporting & school support systems help students? This transcript has been edited for clarity and length the advice of her most important constituentsstudents wanted done! Below will block access to this site for 24 hours listening tour, Cassellius was preparing for State... Went to print, Cassellius issued a flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and.... Devoted to helping all children succeed and thrive hands - and my heart - will be working in partnership. To pass the baton energetic discussion have been times when Brenda had such a bold idea she wanted done! 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