She paralyzes the organization through her incoherence, another former official says. Both her father's name and her mothers are unknown. If Casselliuss critics are wrong about her, then this is how: She has arrived in an institutionally conservative city that has a well-documented skepticism of outsiders. Collaborations, School Choice (including dual credit, district & chartered public schools). Whats more, in a district with chronically declining enrollment, it wasnt even clear to them that there would be enough students to populate all of Casselliuss new programs. How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? The Boston Public School Committee is expected to sign a separation agreement Wednesday to give Cassellius at least $311,000, the Boston Herald reported. The mayor and Cassellius say they arrived at the decision to have Brophy help BPS together. Do you mind if I run a tape recorder throughout the day? I ask her. The BPS officials listening to this concept were stunned. Some zip codes, such as Chinatown, Beacon Hill and West Roxbury will have less exam school seats while other neighborhoods that are typically disadvantaged such as Dorchester and Mattapan, will get more. February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM That's not out-front administration. That left Brenda Cassellius as the default candidate and the darling of the teachers union. Somebody who's passionate about helping inner city kids," said Yonathan Fassil, whose child goes to Boston Latin School. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. Brenda ignored all of that, a former official says. Cassellius speaking to the media with Mayor Marty Walsh, who says he is and has always been confident in the superintendent. As CFO Nate Kuder completed a preview of the public budget presentation he would give in February, Cassellius proposed an idea. And I started to do things where it wasnt just my idea, but everybodys idea.. The daughter of a young single mother who later became a young single mother herself, Cassellius grew up on food stamps in the projects of Minneapolis and participated in a Head Start program.. Massachusetts could get another snowstorm Friday: What areas were the jackpot zones in this past storm? I feel like I am put in places where I need to be for that reason. MS Word MS WORDPDF PDFView FileMS WordFebruary 16, 2012Dr. CSC Projects: Completed and Current: 2022, Dramatically Reducing Minnesota Student/Family Homelessness, Promoting/Encouraging Greater Use of Service-Learning, Increasing College Readiness 2015-present, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (English y Espaol), Map of MN Higher Ed Dual Credit Policies & PSEO Sites, Student Voices Real Dual Credit Students, New High School/Higher Ed. Leading for equity, Dr.. Enjoying #umich's first #marketing #communication summit with colleagues Eric Anderson and Nick Looney in the beautiful Michigan Union. When you are disrupting the status quo with an anti-racist lens, as an African-American woman, you have to think about the motives of why people might be criticizing the ideas and the disruption that Im making so that underserved children can be served better and to create opportunity and access. Her driving passion, equity, seemed to make her a perfect fit for a district where inequality in academic outcomes is glaring. She started in the position in July 2019. But mostly the Boston Latin School. In Minnesota, he explained, he and Cassellius shared a frustration that an entrenched bureaucracy stood in the way of bold change. You have a vision, according to the official. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. The Boston School Committee extended their agreement in June 2021, reports WGBH. We have $36 million outside of the normal cost.. That was after she already had two other meetings this morning. Then she added an admonition: You need to grow in humility., Stung by the criticism despite the vote of confidence, Cassellius went home and cried. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius is resigning at the end of the school year. 2016 columns / Its a gray and frigid morning in Dorchester when Brenda Cassellius bounds toward me on the front lawn of Joseph Lee K8 School. And Ms. Cassellius has proven to be not a good administrator. While the nation tunes in tonight to hear the In addition to his editing duties, Senior Editor Peter Kadzis contributes political analysis and is part of the trio that produces the Scrum Podcast. In our conversations, Cassellius seemed to ask for two things: time and skepticism of her critics. OK, you didn't have all your credentials right in the first place!". [], Joe Nathan / The. In one light, Cassellius looks like the ideal person for that mission. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. 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. We will remember him forever. Santoro: People will welcome the challenge. September 8, 2018 Will new reporting & school support systems help students? Charlene has a way of coaching Brenda, says the former Minnesota Department of Education official. She has previously served as an assistant superintendent at North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale School District and Saint Paul Public Schools. 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. See all the student videos on the Dual High School/College Credit page. This didnt come entirely as a surprise. 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. I need to come hang out here more often, she says. ", 'Heartbroken' by the tragedy of war, a Ukrainian opera singer performs in Belmont, Healey's proposed budget a boon to education and the environment, Senate confirms first Hispanic judge to Massachusetts federal court, The woman who introduced MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott lies in an unmarked grave in Boston, The civil rights memorials that expose America's ugly history and warn of repeating the past. 2017 columns, Charter schools, Columns (J. Nathan), Dual HS/College Credit, PSEO / 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 Their children are Christian Michel, Charles Justice, and Ani Grace. Will new reporting & school support systems help students? In meetings, she often broke down in tears and said she felt overwhelmed, according to three people who witnessed these episodes. 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. 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. She did not say why she is leaving. She enjoys making connections with the community she covers and imploring others to use journalism as a tool to stay informed and engaged. Battenfeld: Boston parents and kids deserve a truthful accounting from Superintendent Brenda Cassellius Start the conversation BOSTON MA. She doesn't have heavy-duty system wide experience. 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. Perhaps that is why she seemed so buoyant when I visited Lee K8 with her and why she meets regularly with her student cabinet, and with BPSs student advisory council. 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. I was called everything from the N-word to mulatto, she says. 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. Interpretive Guide for Minnesota Assessment Reports 2015 2016. Casselliuss staffers were stunned that she believed it was possible to shut down two school buildings in a matter of weeks, when that process normally took years. But its more than that. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. The Boston. Kadzis: She would like the challenge and being head of school at Boston Latin School hasn't exactly been the bed of roses either. She said her Emerald Necklace concept wasnt a plan but a prop or visioning tool. Once, in August 2019, Cassellius returned to the Bolling Building in tears from a visit to the McKinley South End Academy, which was housed in a decrepit building. Kadzis: Well, first of all, I didn't sound very sympathetic the first time. The combination of all of these measures made principals heads spin. Cassellius recently penned a column for The Washington Post about the teacher and staffing shortage plaguing the schools. Do the windows open at the central office? I asked. Cassellius has faced criticism for allowing her administrator's license to lapse. 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. Oh, I want to come in on Thursday. She seems simultaneously energized and at ease at the school. Campbell Brown (journalist) Alma Dale Campbell Brown (born June 14, 1968) is the head of global news partnerships at Facebook and a former American television news reporter and anchorwoman. While the nation tunes in tonight to hear the Anything you think we should spend money on, you guys? she asked. If we heard this plan two or three months ago, we may have said, Lets all work toward this, said Shah Family Foundation executive director Ross Wilson, whose organization works closely with BPS, on a podcast the next day. 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.. According to five current and former BPS officials, she often appeared to make snap decisions, seemingly without contemplating their ramifications. In July 2020, they wrote Cassellius a letterwhich was leaked to the Boston Globeexcoriating her redesign proposal as a top-down exercise in poor planning that is divorced from any authentic analysis of data, lacks major details that must be thought through prior to implementation, [and] ignores years of studies about BPS high schools and the complex issues they face.. She does not seek out people, Bazile says, who are going to push her, interrogate her process, and ask provocative questions., Even more unnerving was the growing sense among BPS staffers that Cassellius herself realized she was in over her head. But it shows that her top allies confidence in her was rapidly eroding. Cassellius, the former Minnesota Commissioner of Education, was selected superintendent in 2019 by the Boston School Committee. Her hometown school board, which had watched her work closely for years, passed her over, citing the scarce progress on closing achievement gaps during her eight years as the top education official in the state. Tell us what she really thinks of the joke of a school committee and the oversized influence of the powerful teachers union. A lot of the most energetic discussion have been around the admissions policies of the city's top three exam schools. Her mother's name is unknown, as well as her father's. Brenda graduated from high school in Minnesota and went onto the University of Minnesota-Twin City, where she earned a bachelor's psychology degree. Meg Woolhouse is GBH News' K-12 education reporter. She came under fire from some parents and teachers for her efforts to reopen the schools for in-person last fall. The historic building and the congregation within it both seek to reckon with a truer version of their history. / CBS Boston. 2018 Columns / 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? Brenda Cassellius, the head of BPS, has a vision for the future unlike any superintendent the city has ever encountered. "My hands - and my heart - will be fully committed to BPS until it is time to pass the baton. Hi, Rose, she said brightly. A superintendents contract can be broken with four months notice and the school committee extended Casseliuss contract last year, according to the Herald. It is tradition for the President to recognize special guests during the State of the Union address each year. Lack of uniform start and dismal dismissal times is the root of the problem, report says. Before she even started the job, when she was still a candidate for the position, she had already seemed to achieve the impossible: winning the support of the community, the school committee, the teachers union, and the mayor. After completing the proposal, she walked into the mayors office with her pitch: Add an additional $100 million to BPSs budget. She came under fire from some parents and teachers for her efforts to reopen the . "Dr. Cassellius articulated an inspiring, yet practical, vision of how she has been . Shes scattered, she struggles with talent management, and she doesnt provide a clear vision., Those traits were on full display once she arrived in Boston. And thats a good thingright? From the start, Walshs administration had hoped that Cassellius would restore stability to Bostons struggling school system. I dont want this to come off negative, she told me in our first interview, but I think theres almost a sense of pride in that Bostonians say theyre hard on people, just like in Minnesota we have Minnesota Nice., Paul Reville, who served as secretary of education under Deval Patrick and is a supporter of Cassellius, says Cassellius needs to be given time. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) It was so fun to see Tou again in new employee orientation The staffers, all veterans of public school administration in Boston and beyond, listened closely. Even though the July intervention did not come to fruition, Walsh still took measures to bolster the central office. This is not a new problem in Boston, having a superintendent leave. Yes, she is still wearing pumps. At the same time, not everyone agrees with this renderinga soaring start to her superintendency derailed by a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe. You can do this. She is confronting an entrenched bureaucracy that wants to pursue incrementalism, rather than radical reform, and she is determined to shake the cobwebs free. Cassellius came to Boston less than a year before the pandemic began,. But with Brenda, one former official says, word came down that if your presentation was more than a few slides, you would lose her.. Its unclear if Wu approved of the column but it could be viewed as a little shot at the mayor and school committee. Just to cite one example, she's run through four chiefs of staff in two years. Parents Evaluation. Briner stood close to her and said, Lets breathe in. She had been sitting in her car for the past 45 minutes, she explains, on a conference call with other big-city superintendents brainstorming ways to reopen schools in the middle of a pandemic. Este botn muestra el tipo de bsqueda seleccionado. She was named superintendent in May 2019 by then-Mayor Marty Walsh. As she traveled the city on her listening tour, Cassellius issued a flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained. 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. Thatd be pretty powerful, Cassellius said. She has said to me that she hires people based on familiarity and trust, says Edith Bazile, a former president of the Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts who has worked closely with Cassellius on a volunteer basis. To some, the practical barriers to implementing the plan seemed nearly insurmountable. As Minnesota students return to school, for most families, the key questions involve their own youngsters. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Shes a quick problem solver, says Bernadeia Johnson (no relation to Carol), a former superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. She does not have a day to spend on me. For some reason, I just felt like I was supposed to be here in Boston, she told me. Nor could the surrounding city blocks, which encompassed some of Bostons most expensive and densely populated neighborhoods. Cassellius loves playing hockey and water skiing. She's super smart. The windows open there. Before her aide could object, she was off. parents, and others. When Cassellius arrived in Boston to vie for the BPS top job, she pitched herself as a deft political operator laser-focused on equity. That is exactly how Briner sees it after working alongside Cassellius in Boston. Brenda Cassellius was born in Minnesota on September 9, 1967, and she will turn 54 in 2022. The district has seen four different people leading the city schools in the last 10 years. AN EDUCATION CAREER Cassellius spent her early career as a single mom. She came under fire from some parents and teachers for her efforts to reopen the schools for in-person last fall. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. Earlier this week, Boston Public Schools announced that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius would be stepping down at the end of the school year. It wasnt long before the principals made their dismay painfully public. In a letter to "the BPS community" this morning, Mayor Wu said she, School Committee Chairwoman Jeri Robinson and Cassellius decided it was time for Cassellius to move on. Run the recorder throughout the midday. According to sources with direct knowledge of this effort, as well as contemporaneous records, the officials were seeking candidates to step into a new role: czar for BPS operations and pandemic response. Back in Minneapolis, she served as an associate superintendent from 2007 to 2010, overseeing high school principals. 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. . The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 14 BPCAE families in U.S. District Court in Boston on Friday. Cuando se ampla, se proporciona una lista de opciones de bsqueda para que los resultados coincidan con la seleccin actual. COVID was an incredible challenge. School officials under Walsh tightly controlled the search process when Cassellius was hired and now the school committee says it wont divulge details of the separation agreement until next month. 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