So what went wrong? February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM You know what would be kind of cool, Nate, is having a youth portion of the presentation. Kuder said he loved the idea. She succeeded Tommy Chang who resigned after three years. There wasnt anything particularly unusual about the planit called for rotating cohorts of students to attend school two days a week while teachers used a combination of Web-based and in-person instruction. The combination of all of these measures made principals heads spin. Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year, roughly three years after she was hired away from Minnesota. It is tradition for the President to recognize special guests during the State of the Union address each year. I was called everything from the N-word to mulatto, she says. Still, Casselliuss critics and some of her former supporters fear she is ill equipped to tackle this next challenge. She has taken charge of a flailing school district and recognized the need for bold and uncomfortable changes. To say that Casselliuss daily life in Boston has not been smooth is something of an understatement. Instead, invitations will now be issued by weighing student performance, zip code and GPA or MCAS results, a change that was considered a historic win for underserved communities when it was approved. As CFO Nate Kuder completed a preview of the public budget presentation he would give in February, Cassellius proposed an idea. It is tradition for the President to recognize special guests during the State of the Union address each year. The warnings that a recession may occur continues but fears that it will happen in 2023 are fading. Boston Public School Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will walk away with more than $300,000 as part of a separation agreement that she reached last week with the Boston School Committee. Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! Briner had been her right-hand woman in Minnesota, serving as chief of staff and then deputy commissioner throughout Casselliuss eight years leading that states Department of Education. The parents of all Boston school children will appreciate the rare candor. Santoro: Peter, as we said at the top, the pandemic has not made the position of superintendent easy by any stretch. parents, and others. You can do this. Even though the July intervention did not come to fruition, Walsh still took measures to bolster the central office. They love her.. what does seats not included mean on hopperthe hardy family acrobats 26th February 2023 / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by After two-and-a-half turbulent years as superintendent of Boston Public Schools, Brenda Cassellius will resign in June, city officials announced Monday. Kadzis: That's what I might say, but she's a very accomplished woman. Cassellius recently penned a column for The Washington Post about the teacher and staffing shortage plaguing the schools. "Dr. Cassellius articulated an inspiring, yet practical, vision of how she has been . She walked into the mayors office, asked for $100 million, and got it. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. She started in the position in July 2019. Joe Nathan / 2018 Columns / Blue Ribbon Schools, Brenda Cassellius, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota . Cambridge's public school superintendent left last summer, and Boston is now in a similar position. While the nation tunes in tonight to hear the (Later, in December, the teachers union would pass a vote of no confidence in the superintendent.). 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. By winter of the 20192020 school year, concern over Casselliuss leadership had extended beyond the central office and reached BPSs principalssome of the districts most important employees. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu unveiled Cassellius's impending departure in February, calling it a "mutual decision" by the mayor, superintendent and Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. . 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. 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. Cassellius loves playing hockey and water skiing. 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. 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. Her resignation. How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? But its more than that. . Who is giving that criticism? she asked me. BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius is resigning at the end of the school year. 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.. I dont like to criticize people for crying because its often a form of sexism, says a current BPS official. Cassellius insists she will still be that leader, as long as the city will let her. The district has seen four different people leading the city schools in the last 10 years. The column gave a good glimpse of some of the real problems facing school systems like Boston. Photo By Matt Stone/ MediaNews Group/Boston Herald. Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments ? She enjoys making connections with the community she covers and imploring others to use journalism as a tool to stay informed and engaged. So I would say, keep an eye on Rachel Skerritt. There have even been rumblings that she may not last much longer in her position. The promotions left colleagues, and sometimes the promoted employees themselves, baffled. She was looking to the futurea future beyond the pandemicand was on the verge of unveiling her new vision, a plan she called Return, Recover, and Reimagine.Were going to be really reframing and pivoting, she told me, because our five-year strategic planthe one she announced a year ago, parts of which were later lambasted by the principalshas gotten very little attention., The new plan, she said, would increase the budget, close achievement gaps, and turn BPS into a real 21st-century school district., The Best Public High Schools in Greater Boston, The Best Public High Schools in Mass., Ranked, This search result is here to prevent scraping, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli to Open Hook + Line in the Seaport, The Real, Essential Backstory of the MLK Statue The Embrace', On the Market: A Newport Condo Tucked Away in a Stone Turret, Review: Moca Largely Succeeds With Wildly Clever Seafood, Five Boston Homes for Sale for Under $800,000, This Stoughton Artist Paints Saturated Scenes of '60s Suburbia Boston Magazine, Careers and Internships at Boston Magazine. It has been this way since March, when Cassellius and Mayor Marty Walsh decided to shut down every school in the district. 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. Cassellius has been Boston's school superintendent since July 2019. 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. Will new reporting & school support systems help students? It worked. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. Follow us so you don't miss a thing! Just last summer, the school committee renewed Cassellius' $311,000-a-year contract through June 2024. Enjoying #umich's first #marketing #communication summit with colleagues Eric Anderson and Nick Looney in the beautiful Michigan Union. The BPS officials listening to this concept were stunned. As Minnesota students return to school, for most families, the key questions involve their own youngsters. 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. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. Shes a quick problem solver, says Bernadeia Johnson (no relation to Carol), a former superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. That was a marked departure for her and showed a little independence. 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. Joe Nathan / 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. Let me cite an example: the surprise closing of the Curley school. Support GBH. 2016 columns / She came under fire from some parents and teachers for her efforts to reopen the schools for in-person last fall. Working with educators, parents, business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people throughout the United States. With help from the Minnesota Department of Education and Target, we have completed new videos that are in 7 languages: Hmong, Somali, Arabic, Karen, Dakota, English and Spanish. But with Brenda, one former official says, word came down that if your presentation was more than a few slides, you would lose her.. 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. It will be a tough sell among Boston stakeholders. Login or Sign-up to show all important data, death records and obituaries absolutely for free! Sorry to keep you waiting, she says. Through the early summer, officials had grown concerned that Cassellius and her new leadership team might not be up to the task of managing the pandemic response. Battenfeld: Boston parents and kids deserve a truthful accounting from Superintendent Brenda Cassellius Start the conversation BOSTON MA. This letter is intended to provide information about AYP, Minnesota's waiver request and what an AYP designation may mean for the school their son or daughter attends. 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. Can Wu deliver? - SEPTEMBER 9: Boston Schools Superintendent Brenda. OK, you didn't have all your credentials right in the first place!". 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. Dr. Brenda Cassellius has spent three decades as an educator devoted to helping all children succeed and thrive. 'Nothing Is Pushing Me Out': Boston Superintendent Brenda Cassellius Says Of Resignation February 8, 2022 / 12:14 PM / CBS Boston BOSTON (CBS) -- After three years on the job, Dr. Brenda. You have a vision, according to the official. 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. 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. Working with educators, parents, business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people throughout the United States. "My hands - and my heart - will be fully committed to BPS until it is time to pass the baton. Zip codes are allocated spots at the schools based on the number of students living in the area and family income. A new wave of trouble began with another of Casselliuss bold ideas, her so-called High School Redesign Plan. Her heart is in the right place and I believe deeply she is a good person, says a former BPS official. They began considering an intervention. 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.. Kadzis: Well, first of all, I didn't sound very sympathetic the first time. '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. 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.. Here's why. Cassellius chats with the head chef, who shows her a color-coded calendar of the months meals. '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. Kadzis: She would like the challenge and being head of school at Boston Latin School hasn't exactly been the bed of roses either. Outgoing Boston Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius came in under the cover of darkness and is leaving the same way with a potentially huge severance agreement the city is sitting on. The community was behind us, the mayors speech was inspiring, we had secured this new investment, and then, boom, here comes the plague.. Run the recorder throughout the midday. Was it the superintendent herself, who, her critics argue, is too focused on visionary (and starry-eyed) future transformations to tend to the urgent problems of the present? College campuses increasingly offer time off for mental health, but some are skeptical. So that doesn't inspire confidence. Nor could the surrounding city blocks, which encompassed some of Bostons most expensive and densely populated neighborhoods. Massachusetts could get another snowstorm Friday: What areas were the jackpot zones in this past storm? Henry Santoro: Meg, let's start with you. Lets go to TechBoston, she suggested. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. Over the next 15 years, her career remained on a steady ascent. In many ways, this was classic Cassellius, BPS insiders say. For the next eight years, she served as Minnesotas commissioner of education. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Give us details on her relationship with former Mayor Marty Walsh and current Mayor Michelle Wu. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and. At the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, for instance, she wowed teachers and parents when she started communicating with children in American Sign Language. 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. There was also backlash from the citywide school nurses union. But even if the consequences of the pandemic are not Casselliuss responsibility, the recovery from it will be. Charlene has a way of coaching Brenda, says the former Minnesota Department of Education official. 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. Over the next 40 minutes, as we tour the facility, she amiably talks to a janitor, a secretary, two assistant principals, and a security guardwhile also dancing, leaping between social-distancing markers on the floor, and, on the playground, jumping down a hopscotch court. Previous superintendents had done deep dives into the details of how the district ran. That is exactly how Briner sees it after working alongside Cassellius in Boston. Thats my style, and I think people are getting used to that now. 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