After two-and-a-half turbulent years as superintendent of Boston Public Schools, Brenda Cassellius will resign in June, city officials announced Monday. In a 5-2 vote, the Boston School Committee selected to appoint former Minnesota's Commissioner of Education Dr. Brenda Cassellius as their next Superintendent Wednesday. Santoro: Meg, it seems clear that parents want and actually need a level of stability considering the pandemic, the turnover of superintendents. Casselius is the second BPS superintendent to leave after three years on the job. Let me cite an example: the surprise closing of the Curley school. We have $36 million outside of the normal cost.. Sorry to keep you waiting, she says. - SEPTEMBER 9: Boston Schools Superintendent Brenda. By then Cassellius had earned a reputation for being full of energy and big ideas. To say that Casselliuss daily life in Boston has not been smooth is something of an understatement. I was called everything from the N-word to mulatto, she says. During her early tenure, staffers at the central office found the new superintendent to be more drawn to splashy proposals than to the grinding back-office work they believed was required to solve the districts problems. 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. I get that. But hearing it 49 days before the school year starts doesnt give you much hope., The teachers union also criticized the plan, calling it totally out of touch with reality. In the midst of the pandemic, a teachers union taking a shot at a superintendent should be as shocking as an April snowstorm in Boston. It wasnt long before the principals made their dismay painfully public. Login or Sign-up to show all important data, death records and obituaries absolutely for free! Join us. 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. On July 22, less than a week after the principals letter was made public, Cassellius appeared, via Zoom, before the school committee to present a draft of BPSs reopening plan. Speaking to a room full of staffers and principals, she explained her vision for the next generation of Bostons high schools. After all, equity is her driving passion. It was a flight of fancy, one former principal says. 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. '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. And my hunch is . 2017 columns, Charter schools, Columns (J. Nathan), Dual HS/College Credit, PSEO / I dont like to criticize people for crying because its often a form of sexism, says a current BPS official. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. She has worked arduously to reach her dream of becoming a successful teacher. Covered spot news and enterprise stories, primarily in education, crime, human services . "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. Series III Reading. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Current and former BPS officials came to believe that the root causes of Casselliuss scattershot ideas were her lack of attention to detail and short attention span. But with Brenda, one former official says, word came down that if your presentation was more than a few slides, you would lose her.. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Their children are Christian Michel, Charles Justice, and Ani Grace. Photo by Matt Kalinowski. 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. Students in the zip code with the lowest family income will be placed first. Cassellius speaking to the media with Mayor Marty Walsh, who says he is and has always been confident in the superintendent. 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. AN EDUCATION CAREER Cassellius spent her early career as a single mom. Whats more, there was no train running along the parks length. Without Charlene, I dont think Brenda would have survived., In the months that followed, Briner helped prop Cassellius up, sometimes almost literally. 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. You have a vision, according to the official. The. The swiftness of criticism, she told me, and the willingness to condemn, its something uniquely Boston. Do the windows open at the central office? I asked. Her driving passion, equity, seemed to make her a perfect fit for a district where inequality in academic outcomes is glaring. College campuses increasingly offer time off for mental health, but some are skeptical. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. As she traveled the city on her listening tour, Cassellius issued a flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained. Still, Casselliuss critics and some of her former supporters fear she is ill equipped to tackle this next challenge. The staffers, all veterans of public school administration in Boston and beyond, listened closely. "I will be working in close partnership with the School Committee to move forward the search process for a permanent Superintendent. Support GBH. Henry Santoro: Meg, let's start with you. What are their intentions and motives? Cassellius, who was pursuing several jobs at the time, said she felt especially drawn to the Hub. Oh, I want to come in on Thursday. She seems simultaneously energized and at ease at the school. Nr den er udvidet, indeholder den en liste over sgemuligheder, der vil ndre sgeinputs, s de matcher det nuvrende valg. On Wednesday, when asked whether she's still thinking about changes to the admissions process for exam schools, Cassellius indicated she is no longer considering changes. Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius will leave her post at the end of the school year. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. So why not do the same with Cassellius, giving parents and students an inside look at the frustrations and struggles of a schools chief in Boston? Its a gray and frigid morning in Dorchester when Brenda Cassellius bounds toward me on the front lawn of Joseph Lee K8 School. Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images By Meg Woolhouse Peter Kadzis Henry Santoro February 11, 2022 Morning Edition Share Email Facebook Listen 8:10 Just last summer, the school committee renewed Cassellius' $311,000-a-year contract through June 2024. That's not out-front administration. People felt heard. Lets breathe out. Brenda Cassellius, David Esquith, Minnesota State University Mankato, PACER Center, School Safety Technical Assistance Center, US Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students, Walter Roberts / 0 Comments, The following column originally was published by ECM Publications Helping students be safer at school By Joe Nathan on February 10, 2016 at 2:03 pm Joe Nathan David Esquith shares one of the deepest concerns parents have: I worry about a call from the school that my kid got hurt. Its important that Esquith understands, [], Joe Nathan / Then, throughout the day, the students would shuttle between buildings on a train. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. I paused. Then she reflected. Cassellius had been on the job less than a year when schools closed, but I don't think Cassellius' response helped build trust among parents in the district. Alexi Cohan is a general assignment reporter covering local news and government as well as health and medicine stories. GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. The pandemic impacted us all, including our workforce. This memorial website was created in memory of Brenda D Cassellius-W, 35, born on December 31, 1972 and passed away on April 29, 2008. Who is giving that criticism? she asked me. But they found her methods strange. She said her Emerald Necklace concept wasnt a plan but a prop or visioning tool. She paralyzes the organization through her incoherence, another former official says. At the same time, not everyone agrees with this renderinga soaring start to her superintendency derailed by a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe. According to a person who spoke with him multiple times in August, the COO said, in colorful language, that Casselliuss teams preparations were so far behind schedule that it would require drastic measures to open school buildings in time. 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. 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. Per her contract, Casselius must be paid a years base salary, or the rest of what she would have been paid, had she stayed until 2023, whichever is less. When Cassellius arrived in Boston to vie for the BPS top job, she pitched herself as a deft political operator laser-focused on equity. 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. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) In Minnesota, he explained, he and Cassellius shared a frustration that an entrenched bureaucracy stood in the way of bold change. On. 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 a parent, I want to request that my child receive a fair and equitable opportunity to apply for these three exam schools, said Bentao Cui, president of Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence, a new organization pushing for a merit-based entrance to Bostons exam schools. 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. 2016 columns / Throughout her tenure as superintendent, Cassellius has seemed happiestand told her colleagues shes happiestwhen she is in schools and with children. The promotions left colleagues, and sometimes the promoted employees themselves, baffled. While the nation tunes in tonight to hear the Building consensus, he notes, is a long, agonizing process. 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? According to five current and former BPS officials, she often appeared to make snap decisions, seemingly without contemplating their ramifications. (Second-hardest job in the country after president, another said.) For the next eight years, she served as Minnesotas commissioner of education. Yet even by the standards of a city that has had five superintendents in the past decade, Casselliuss first year and a half on the job since arriving from Minnesota, where she served as the commissioner of the Department of Education, has been tumultuous. But mostly the Boston Latin School. She also served as a principal in the states of Minnesota and Georgia. I was such a go-getter, she told me, and confident and, you know, dig in. Josh Collins, Education Evolving, Education Minnesota, EdVisions Schools, Friendship Academy of the Arts, Jensen family, Julene Oxton, Kenneth Eban, Larry Pogemiller, Lars Esdal, Lisa Snyder, Lynn Nordgren, MAAP STARS Conference, Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Nell Collier, Patti Haasch, Rep Roz Peterson, Rep. Carlos Mariani, Rep. Jenifer Loon, Rep. Linda Slocum, Rep. Sondra Erickson, Sam Fredrickson, Sandy Connoly, Sen. Greg Clausen, Steve Allen, Students for Education Reform-Minnesota, Westra family / 1 Comment, This column originally was published by a series of ECM/Sun/Current Newspapers in late November, 2017 Thanks to passionate, practical families, students and educators Joe Nathan One of Americas finest traditions encourages us to pause late in the year, regardless of current controversies, to offer thanks. Over the next 15 years, her career remained on a steady ascent. Boston parent group suing school committee for, 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), Boston parent group suing school committee for new exam school admissions process, Boston looks to continue remote testimony for public meetings, Special Olympics grant brings the magic of inclusive sports to BPS schools, 98.5 employees had their sensitivity training after Tony Massarotti suspension, Mike Felger rants about people getting fired over a bad comment, Heres what Maura Healeys $55.5 billion budget buys, Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence. The district has seen four different people leading the city schools in the last 10 years. We couldn't do it without you. For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. Access Login Help; Clever (opens in new window/tab); Destiny Library (opens in new window/tab); FirstView Bus Tracking App (opens in new window/tab); Lunch Menus (opens in new window/tab); Osseo GSuite (opens in new window/tab); Parent and Family Toolkit (opens in new window/tab); ParentVUE; Peachjar; Schoology for Parents (opens in new window/tab); Schoology for Students & Staff (opens in new . It seemed, to some principals, like she was trying to fix the high schools with a magic wand. Battenfeld: Boston parents and kids deserve a truthful accounting from Superintendent Brenda Cassellius Start the conversation BOSTON MA. 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. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Cassellius recently penned a column for The Washington Post about the teacher and staffing shortage plaguing the schools. 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. 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.. Santoro: This is for both of you has her response to the pandemic been welcomed? Was trying to fix the high schools with a magic wand without contemplating ramifications! Vision for the Washington post about the teacher and staffing shortage plaguing the schools two-and-a-half turbulent years superintendent! 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