Ep. 67, Last Night @ School Committee: 8/10 Meeting Recap

Last night was a short meeting, and it began with three unanimous votes: one to approve athletics association membership for several Boston high schools, one to approve $11 million in grants, and one to approve a contract for incoming Superintendent Mary Skipper. Superintendent Skipper’s contract includes a start date of September 26, an annual salary of $300,000, and a new clause allowing for mutual separation in light of recent turnover at the superintendent position. The details of this clause will be shared at a later date when the full contract is made public. School Committee members applauded the contract and noted that the salary is aligned with other recent prominent hires the City has made for the positions of Police Commissioner and Fire Commissioner. Following these votes, the meeting continued with the Acting Superintendent’s Report, in which Dr. Echelson discussed preparedness efforts for the start of school in just a few weeks, the district’s work to address school transportation in light of the MBTA’s recent Orange Line closure, and COVID-19 safety protocols for the new school year. After a brief public comment period, the meeting concluded with a presentation on BPS’ work to meet the August 15 deadlines in its improvement agreement with the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), noting that it is on track to meet all nine of the process-oriented mandates required by Monday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices