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City council could vote next month on plan to move school committee from appointed to elected
By adamg on Wed, 01/25/2023 - 1:13pm
The Boston City Council could decide Feb. 15 whether to seek approval from the state legislature for a plan that would shift the Boston School Committee from a board appointed by the mayor to one elected by residents - plus a student member who would be able to vote on school business.
Boston is currently the only community in the state where the mayor appoints the members of the school committee.
Under a plan being worked on by a committee chaired by City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo (Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan), the committee would be shifted, over a four-year-period starting next year from a seven-member committee appointed by the mayor to a 13-member body consisting of nine district members - whose districts would mirror those of the city's nine district city councilors - three at-large members, elected by residents, and a student member appointed by the student-run Boston Student Advisory Council.
The adult members would serve four-year terms - unlike councilors, who face election every two years - while the student member would be chosen annually. The committee already has a student member, but that member cannot currently vote on anything.
Arroyo said he hopes to refine the proposed home-rule petition at a meeting of his Committee on Government Operations at 2 p.m. on Feb. 6, followed by a vote by the entire council on Feb. 15. The measure would then go to Mayor Wu. If she approves, it would then go to the state legislature. If she rejects the proposal, the council could vote to override her veto.
In a non-binding referendum in 2021, Boston voters approved the idea of making the school committee elected again.
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Comments
Will they be voting at the
Will they be voting at the same elections US House Reps are, or on the off year that city Council is where there's like 2% turnout?
Have Fun With AAA
The Boston School Committee was the farm team for the City Council back when there was an elected board.
Be careful what you wish for.
I can't wait for the first LaRouchite to squeak in with two votes over someone who raised $86 for their campaign.
Will,.....?
....the LaRouchite look just like Woody Allen?.....as usual!
How is your town’s school committee?
I know two women south of Boston who were elected to their respective towns’ school committees. They cared about the schools.
And yes, I remember Boston’s dysfunctional elected committee. Not so much a launching pad for higher office than a way to get school jobs for campaign supporters.
Wow, that hasn’t happened
Wow, that hasn’t happened since the late 1980s early 1990s
Lets prep the kids for clown
Lets prep the kids for clown college again.
I will thank you not to refer to Princeton that way
.
One word: Dapperpixeyhixe
One word:
Dapperpixeyhixe
Needs safeguards regarding Christian Nationalists
School committees has been part of the Christian Nationalist agenda since Jerry Falwell the First. Get on the school committee. Use that as a megaphone for their propaganda and half-truths. What safe guards prevent Christian Nationalists and any other extremist from using the School Committee as either a megaphone, jumping off point for higher positions or to just be disruptive force?
Well, there is this thing called the voters
I realize they cannot always be trusted to make the best decisions, but they are the check to theoretically keep out the wack-jobs.
(A detailed recitation of their past failures is not required.)
SF has elections for school board, and they are bad
As a voter, there's almost no way to find out about the candidates (very little news coverage or investigation), the turnout is low, and special interests dominate. There's simply no way for voters to vet the competence of the candidates.
You can see what's happened in SF with elected school board members. And it becomes a stepping stone to higher office, rather than folks who really care about schools.
It’s about time.
Take the schools away from the Mayor’s office and return it to the citizens of this City. It has been screwed up for too long now.
The Boston School Committee
The Boston School Committee was the farm team for the City Council back when there was an elected board.
Be careful what you wish for.
@John Costello
Did election to the School Board automatically put you on the School Committee?
I remember the ELECT LOUISE DAY-HICKS signs from back when I was in grade school and she is listed as a School Board and School Committee member in her Wikipedia bio.