Schools
Skipper previously worked in Boston Public Schools as a teacher and administrator, and most recently served as superintendent of Somerville.
Somerville Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper posing for a portrait at Somgerille’s Edgerly School. Craig F. Walker / Personal Globe
Somerville Superintendent Mary Skipper was voted by the Boston School Committee to be named Boston Public Schools Superintendent pending a contract agreement Wednesday night during a School Committee meeting.
Skipper was one of two final candidates for superintendent of Boston public schools. The other was Superintendent Tommy Welch of Region 1 of the Boston Public Schools.
“I am delighted to welcome Superintendent Mary Skipper as the experienced leader and dedicated partner Boston needs for our youth and families,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement.
“In this time of challenge and opportunity, Mary is especially prepared to drive the systemic reforms and immediate results our students deserve.”
Voting was tight, with Skipper receiving four votes and Welch receiving three votes. Most School Committee members said they would be satisfied with any of the candidates even though they were not satisfied with the search process itself.
President Jeri Robinson, Vice President Michael O’Neill and members Rafaela Polanco Garcia and Quoc Tran voted for Skipper, while members Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, Stephen Alkins and Lorena Lopera voted for Welch.
“The School Committee’s decision tonight is a big step forward for the District,” Robinson said in a statement.
“…Under [Skipper’s] leadership we will continue to prioritize the needs of our students so that they receive the support and quality education needed to excel within the classroom. I would also like to thank Dr. Tommy Welch for his continued commitment to BPS, our students and our city. “
School Committee members cited as reasons for their support Skipper’s record of working toward equity for students of color and English learners, as well as his experience as a district-wide superintendent.
During the public comment, both Welch and Skipper received supportive comments, but Skipper supporters came out en masse.
Other commenters said they were disappointed with the search process due to the lack of transparency and the fact that it did not result in any finalists being Latin or black. Some even called for the search process to be expanded to try to find more candidates.
In response, several School Committee members said they believe it is unlikely that expanding the search process will get more candidates.
“Given the shortage of candidates across the country for this type of important and high-profile job, I am strongly against the reopening of the process. We have to honor the two candidates we have in front of us, ”Tran said during the meeting.
O’Neill added that other major cities have interviewed 12 to 20 candidates for superintendent positions, while Boston has interviewed 34.
He said he even contacted qualified superintendents he knows from across the country, but said few were interested in being interviewed for the job.
“What I heard over and over again was one of two things: either they are very tired from what they have gone through, they are burned out and they are ready to leave the profession … or they heard a call to stay in their district while I left the pandemic, ”O’Neill said.
Boston public schools have also struggled to attract superintendent candidates because, until Monday, when the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education finally reached an agreement with Mayor Wu on the future of the district, the state was considering doing – takes care of the district to help improve academic outcomes. .
Members also clarified that the superintendent’s search obtained four candidates, two of whom were women of color, but that those two candidates dropped out for “personal reasons” before the final review.
Skipper has a lot of experience working in Boston public schools. Previously, she taught Latin at the Boston Latin Academy and helped launch Tech Boston Academy and was its principal while she was superintendent of the high school network in 2002. She has been the superintendent of public schools in Somerville. (SPS) since 2015.
According to Skipper’s curriculum, under his leadership, SPS has made great strides in achieving equity for special education and minority students.
During his tenure, Skipper said, the district adopted new equity policies, hired an equity director, added equity teams with specialists to each school, expanded its multilingual apprenticeship program with academies. newcomers and specialized programs and reduced out-of-district placements to develop specialized programs and services to meet the needs of students.
Under his leadership, the district also created its own student information data system and increased the presence of counselors and social workers in schools.
In 2019, four years after Skipper’s tenure, Somerville High School achieved a historic low dropout rate of 5% and a high graduation rate of 92.5%.
“I am honored and honored to have been selected to lead the district that raised me as an educator and consolidated my passion for making a difference in the lives of students,” Skipper said in a statement. “This is a crucial moment in the history of Boston and BPS, and nothing less is at stake than the future of our students and our city.”
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