“I believe an elected Boston School Committee will lead to greater community input and accountability.”
During the August 18 Boston City Council meeting, Councilors Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) and Julia Mejia (At-Large) will introduce “An Act Relative to Reorganization of the Boston School Committee,” a Home Rule Petition that would change the way the governing body of the school district is formed.
If the act is adopted and signed by the governor, Boston will move away from its all-appointed School Committee model and join 350 cities and towns of Massachusetts in letting residents decide the makeup of the committee by the year 2026.
The home rule petition will signal the beginning of a public process that will include significant public input. The goal, according to a press release, “is to arrive at the eventual School Committee structure in partnership with residents all across the City of Boston, ensuring the needs of students, families, and other stakeholders are incorporated into the final version of the home rule petition that is ultimately passed by the Boston City Council.”
“I believe an elected Boston School Committee will lead to greater community input and accountability,” said Arroyo, in the same press release. “I believe the residents of Boston are fully capable of deciding for themselves who should sit on the Boston School Committee and ensuring that those who do honor the best interests of our BPS families and stakeholders.”
“We’ve always said that nothing about us, without us, is for us. For too long, we have not had a voice in deciding who represents our parents, our teachers, and our children when it comes to designing the future of our school district,” said councilor Mejia, in the press release. “Changing to an elected School Committee is an opportunity to lead with the people’s voice, and we would not be here if it weren’t for the advocates holding us all accountable to the work.”
Shira Laucharoen is a reporter based in Boston. She currently serves as the assistant director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. In the past she has written for Sampan newspaper, The Somerville Times, Scout Magazine, Boston Magazine, and WBUR.
