GOOD MORNING.
OKAY
. MONDAY I'M MY DAUGHTER.
MY NAME IS HANNAH I LARGE CITY COUNCILOR AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. TODAY IS AUGUST 25, 2025 AND IT
IS 10:02 A.M. IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025 MODIFYING CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS OF THE OPEN MEETING LAW AND RELIEVING PUBLIC BODIES OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING THE REQUIREMENT THAT PUBLIC BODIES
CONDUCT ITS MEETING IN A PUBLIC PLACE THAT IS OPEN AND PHYSICALLY ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE CONDUCTING THIS HEARING VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM. THIS IS BEING RECORDED AND IS
ALSO BEING LIVESTREAMED. BOSTON DARK SPLASH CITY DASH COUNCIL DASH TV AND BROADCAST ON CHANNEL EIGHT RCN CHANNEL 82 AND FILES CHANNEL 964.
WRITTEN COMMENTS MAY BE SENT TO THE COMMITTEE EMAIL AT C C EDUCATION AT BOSTON AND WILL BE MADE PART OF THE RECORD AND AVAILABLE TO ALL COUNCILORS. PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE TAKEN
AT THE END OF THIS HEARING. INDIVIDUALS WILL BE CALLED ON IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY SIGNED UP AND WILL HAVE 2 MINUTES TO TESTIFY. IF YOU WISH TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND HAVE NOT
DONE SO PLEASE EMAIL CENTRAL STAFF LIAISON SHANE PACK SHANE BACKPACK BOSTON.COM FOR THE ZOOM LINK AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST.
TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET NUMBER 144 TO ORDER FOR A HEARING TO REVIEW EXPENDITURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE NOMINATING PANEL AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT PROCESS.
THIS MATTER WAS SPONSORED BY COUNCILORS JULIE MCGILL AND WAS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON AUGUST SIX, 2025. TODAY I AM. TODAY I AM JOINED BY MY
COLLEAGUES IN ORDER OF ARRIVAL THE LEAD SPONSOR COUNCILOR JULIA MARIA COUNCILOR FITZGERALD COUNCIL PRESIDENT RUSSI LOUIJEUNE AND COUNCILOR ED
FLYNN. I NOW I WILL ACTUALLY BEFORE INTRODUCING TODAY'S PANEL I'LL GIVE MY COLLEAGUES AN
OPPORTUNITY TO DO BRIEF OPENING REMARKS STARTING WITH THE LEAD SPONSOR A COUNCILWOMAN HERE THE OTHER FOUR. THANK YOU MR CHAIR. AND I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE DID ASK YOU TO EXPEDITE
THIS HEARING SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR ACCOMMODATING US LIKE THIS . SO I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES IN THE ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING HERE
AND I SEE CHAIR JERRY ROBINSON IN THE BUILDING TOO. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. SO WHEN WE FILED THIS HEARING ORDER IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS, WHO IS AT THE TABLE AND
THE RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT FOR OUR PUBLIC RESOURCES AND HOW THEY'RE BEING USED TO SUPPORT IT. THE NOMINATING PANEL AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT PROCESS DIRECTLY DETERMINES WHO MAKES DECISIONS FOR BOSTON
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH SHAPED LEADERSHIP THAT SETS PRIORITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND EDUCATORS. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A CURRENT VACANCY ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE UP UNTIL
PROBABLY 9:00 THIS MORNING WHEN I GOT A CALL FROM IDR LETTING US KNOW THAT SOMEBODY HAS ALREADY BEEN NAMED AND READY FOR APPOINTMENT. AND SO THE WAY THE PROCESS IS UNFOLDING HAS RAISED REAL
QUESTIONS. WE HAVE SEEN THE SAME INDIVIDUALS REAPPOINTED YEAR AFTER YEAR WHILE FAMILIES AND ADVOCATES ARE CALLING FOR LEADERSHIP THAT REFLECTS THE DIVERSITY OF OUR CITY PARTICULARLY OUR STUDENTS THE
MAJORITY OF WHOM ARE OF COLOR. THIS MOMENT REQUIRES US TO ASK WHETHER THE SYSTEM IS AS INTENDED, WHETHER PUBLIC FUNDS ARE BEING USED EFFECTIVELY AND WHETHER THIS PROCESS IS
DELIVERING THE KIND OF REPRESENTATION BOSTON DESERVES. THE STATUE THAT CREATED THE STRUCTURE DATES BACK TO 1991, BUT BOSTON HAS CHANGED. OUR RESIDENTS EXPECT
TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND A PROCESS THAT CENTERS COMMUNITIES MOST IMPACTED BY OUR SCHOOLS. TODAY WE WILL EXAMINE HOW RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED AND MANAGE HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE TO ENSURE THIS PROCESS MEANINGFULLY SERVES THE PUBLIC. I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S PARTICIPATION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO A CANDID ANY FORWARD LOOKING DISCUSSION AND I ALSO
JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE NUMBER OF EDUCATION GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS ISSUE FROM QUEST FROM QUEST BASIA AND LISA GREEN AND
THE ACP WHEN IT COMES TO THIS ISSUE. WE'RE ALL REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO FIGURING OUT HOW WE MAKE THIS PROCESS MORE TRANSPARENT AND MORE ACCESSIBLE TO OUR FAMILIES IN OUR
COMMUNITIES. AND SO REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO UNPACKING THIS. AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW FOR THE RECORD THAT THIS IS REALLY NOT ABOUT THE THE PEOPLE WHO GET
APPOINTED. IT REALLY IS ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE PROCESS HAS BEEN FLAWED FOR DECADES AND I THINK WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVISIT AND REVISE AND REFLECT AND HOPEFULLY DO BUSINESS
DIFFERENTLY AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO TODAY. AND A CHAIR I JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME FOLKS WHO ARE TRAVELING FOR A FAMILY VACATION
SO THEY MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED AND BROUGHT IN WHEN THEY CAN SO THEY'RE TRAVELING ABROAD AND REALLY WANT TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION SO WE'RE GOING TO LOOK TO YOUR PATIENCE AS WE
BRING PEOPLE IN AND OUT AND MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL SO THAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO WANT TO BE HERE. THANK YOU ALL AND I YIELD NO MORE TIME THAT I HAVE LEFT BACK
TO YOU. THANK YOU. JUST LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO ON OUR END TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE FOLKS. AGAIN, APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING HERE. SO FITZGERALD, YOU HAVE THE
FLOOR. THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILOR MEJIA FOR BRINGING FORTH THIS ISSUE. NO REAL OPENING STATEMENT. JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING ABOUT THIS. THERE'S CERTAINLY A LOT I NEED TO UNDERSTAND MORE SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
PRESENTATION TODAY. TO DIVE IN AND ASK WHATEVER QUESTIONS I MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. COUNCIL PRESIDENT LOUIJEUNE YOU HAVE BEFORE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR CHAIR. AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. THANK YOU TO THE SPONSOR OF FILING THIS HEARING ORDER. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT THE EXPENDITURES INVOLVED IN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE PROCESS. I THINK THERE'S SO MUCH TO
LEARN. I WANT TO THANK YOU CHAIR ROBINSON FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR STEWARDSHIP AND ALL YOU DO FOR OUR KIDS AND OUR STUDENTS SITTING DOWN WITH YOU. IT WAS REALLY REVELATORY IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT WE NEED
TO DO TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT AND SO MAKING SURE THAT THEY EXPENDITURES ARE RELATED TO THE NOMINATION PROCESS ARE REVIEWED
IS IMPORTANT AND SO I'M GLAD TO HAVE THIS HEARING AND I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE RECENT APPOINTEE OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, RACHEL SKERRITT, WHO WAS THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN, THE FIRST PERSON
OF COLOR TO HEAD MY ALMA MATER AND HER ALMA MATER BOTTOM LINE WHICH WAS NO EASY FEAT WHICH CAME WITH MANY CHALLENGES HERSELF A PARENT AND I THINK SHE'S GOING TO BRING AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE
TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. SO I'M EXCITED FOR HER AND I'M EXCITED FOR THE STUDENTS AND FOR OUR CITY FOR WHAT THAT MEANS. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT EXPENDITURE RELATED TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE PROCESS.
THANK YOU, MR CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO COUNCILOR MAKIYA FOR HOLDING THIS HEARING. THANK YOU. COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND COUNCILOR FLYNN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I
DON'T HAVE AN OPENING STATEMENT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. THANK YOU, MR TREMBLE. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FOR ANYBODY TO MY COLLEAGUES, I WOULD NOW LIKE TO INTRODUCE
TODAY'S PANELISTS AND WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT PANELS AND WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATION PANEL WITH US AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A COMMUNITY PANEL AFTERWARDS SO I WILL INTRODUCE THEM AND THEY CAN INTRODUCE THEMSELVES INTO
THE RECORD AND WE ALL WILL HAVE ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. SO WITH US TODAY WE HAVE GEOFFREY ROBINSON, CHAIR OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE, TALLEY
ROBBINS, DEPUTY CHIEF OF POLICY FOR THE OFFICE OF MAYOR MICHELLE WU AND WILLIAM THOMAS ,CHAIR WITH THE BUFFALO SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE ON A MONDAY MORNING . REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR SANTANA
FOR CHAIRING THIS HEARING. THANK YOU COUNSELOR HERE FOR FOR SPONSORING THE HEARING. I'M REALLY GLAD TO BE HERE. MY NAME IS TYLER ROBBINS. I AM THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF POLICY IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND AS PART OF THAT ROLE I ALSO STAFF
THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS. I'M REALLY GLAD TO BE HERE THIS MORNING WITH CHAIR JERRY ROBINSON, THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND WILL THOMAS WHO SERVES AS THE CHAIR OF THE NOMINATING PANEL.
SO I'LL LET MY COLLEAGUES INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. WELL, MY NAME IS WILLIAM THOMAS BEAN, THE HEAD OF SCHOOL JUST HIGH SCHOOL FOR EIGHT YEARS AND NEW MISSION FOR FOUR YEARS AND
UNTIL THIS SUMMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF A NEW MISSION FOR ONE YEAR I'M NOW SERVING AS THE REGION EIGHT SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT. I'VE BEEN SERVING ON THE NOMINATING PANEL FOR ABOUT NINE YEARS AND SERVE AS A CHAIR
SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2022 AS CHAIR I TAKE THE LEAD IN SETTING THE MEETING SCHEDULE, FACILITATING DISCUSSIONS AND MAKING SURE THINGS RUN SMOOTHLY SO I'LL PASS IT DOWN TO JERRY.
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS JERRY ROBINSON. I AM A LIFELONG BOSTONIAN BOTH A GRADUATE OF DPS AND SERVED IN THE PAST BOTH AS A PARENT AND GRANDPARENT AND DPS.
I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOW FOR TEN YEARS AND BECAME CHAIR IN
2021 DUE THANK YOU CHAIR THANK YOU WILL SO I'LL JUST GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW OF HOW THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS WORKS AS CONSUMMATE I MENTIONED THE
PANEL IS ACTUALLY CREATED BY STATE LAW AND IT'S MEMBERSHIP AND THE TIMELINES THAT IT WORKS UNDER ARE ALSO SET BY STATE LAW . SO THE NOMINATING PANEL HAS 13 MEMBERS. FOUR OF THOSE MEMBERS ARE
PARENTS OF CURRENT VP STUDENTS WHO REPRESENT DIFFERENT PARENT GROUPS. ONE IS A TEACHER SELECTED BY THE BOSTON TEACHERS UNION. ONE IS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS.
ONE IS THE PRESIDENT OF A PUBLIC OR PRIVATE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY WHOSE DESIGNATED BY THE CHANCELLOR OF HIGHER EDUCATION. ONE IS THE DESIGNEE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. THERE'S ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM
THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY WHO ROTATES EVERY YEAR AMONG THE PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL, THE MUNICIPAL RESEARCH BUREAU AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THEN FOUR MEMBERS ARE APPOINTED
BY THE MAYOR, THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, THE SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE EACH SERVE FOUR YEAR STAGGERED TERMS WHICH MEANS THAT EVERY YEAR EVERY JANUARY EITHER ONE OR TWO
MEMBERS TERMS ARE EXPIRING. SO EVERY FALL THE NOMINATING PANEL MEETS TO PREPARE FOR THAT UPCOMING VACANCY. CURRENT MEMBERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REAPPLY FOR THEIR SEATS BUT THERE IS AN OPEN PROCESS, AN OPEN
APPLICATION PERIOD. THE NOMINATING PANEL COLLECTS APPLICATIONS, REVIEWS THEM, DECIDES WHICH CANDIDATES THEY WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW. THEY INTERVIEWED THE CANDIDATES AND THEN THEY PUT TOGETHER A
SHORTLIST THAT GETS SENT TO THE MAYOR AND THE MAYOR APPOINTS A MEMBER FROM THAT SHORTLIST IN THE EVENT OF A VACANCY BECAUSE A MEMBER RESIGNS AS WE SAW THIS
SUMMER THE SAME PROCESS WORKS ON A SIMILAR TIMELINE. IT'S A BIT OF A CONDENSED TIMELINE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS NOT A VACANCY ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE FOR TOO LONG THE NOMINATING PANEL IS A
PUBLIC BODY AND ITS MEETINGS ARE GOVERNED BY OPEN MEETING LAW LIKE LIKE THIS ONE. SO MEETING NOTICES AND AGENDAS ARE POSTED PUBLICLY AHEAD OF TIME. MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ALTHOUGH FOR THE LAST FIVE AT
LEAST YEARS THEY'VE BEEN HELD VIRTUALLY AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AT EACH OF THE MEETINGS I WORK WITH THE CHAIR OF THE PANEL WITH MEMBERS OF THE PANEL AND WITH COLLEAGUES ACROSS CITY
GOVERNMENT AND VP'S TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY TIME THE APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS THE APPLICATION IS SENT OUT FAR AND WIDE. I WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD LIAISONS, OTHER
COMMUNITY FACING AND PUBLIC FACING CITY STAFF AND BPF STAFF ALL BP'S PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS ,PARENT GROUPS ETC. TO MAKE SURE THE APPLICATION IS SENT OUT WIDELY. THIS LAST ROUND THAT JUST
CONCLUDED WE HAD 17 APPLICATIONS WHICH IS A PRETTY HIGH NUMBER FOR A PARTICULARLY FOR A VACANCY OVER THE SUMMER. I THINK THE APPLICATION POOL WAS WAS REALLY STRONG REPRESENTING A REAL RANGE
OF PERSPECTIVES AND BOTH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES IN BOSTON AND VEEPS . I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE WHO APPLIED PUT THEIR NAME IN THE HAT TO SERVE THIS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT ROLE ON THIS COMMITTEE AND AS
COUNCILOR MEJIA REFERENCED JUST THIS MORNING THE MAYOR ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WOULD BE APPOINTING RACHEL SKERRITT TO SERVE THE REMAINDER OF THE TERM THAT ENDS IN JANUARY OF 2028.
RACHEL IS A BBC ALUM. SHE'S A CURRENT BBC PARENT. SHE'S A FORMER BBC TEACHER, A SCHOOL LEADER DISTRICT LEADER. SHE'S REALLY AN INCREDIBLE PUBLIC SERVANT AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE HER LEADERSHIP ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
SO WITH THAT I'LL CLOSE AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. AWESOME THING TO THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR THAT BOTH CHAIR THOMAS AND CHAIR ROBINSON YOU'RE ALSO YES SIR. FINE THANK YOU. WANT TO MAKE SURE ALSO SO THANK YOU FOR OUR PANELISTS FOR BEING HERE.
WELL WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO ANSWERS QUESTIONS AND ORDER OF ARRIVAL STARTED WITH THE LEAD SPONSOR ACCOUNTS FOR MEJIA
WILL DO OKAY 5 MINUTES AND IF PEOPLE NEED EXTRA SECOND ROUND WE CAN DO THAT. GREAT. THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE ADMINISTRATION FOR
ACCOMMODATING US AND BEING HERE TODAY AND I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. LUCKY YOU ALL AND I WANT TO JUST KIND OF PREFACE THIS THAT
THIS HEARING ORDER IS BOTH WE'RE DOING AN AUDIT OF BOTH THE FINANCES RIGHT IN TERMS OF KIND OF LIKE THE MONEY AND THE EXPENDITURES THAT WE HAVE AS IT RELATES TO THE ENGAGEMENT
PROCESS AND ALL THE WORK THAT IT TAKES TO DO THE NOMINATIONS BUT ALSO TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS WORKING AND WHAT IS NOT.
I KNOW THAT SOME FOLKS HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO BEEN WORKING ON TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO TWEAK AND IMPROVE THE NOMINATING PANEL. SO AND WILLIAM, IT'S GREAT TO
SEE YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. I DIDN'T GIVE YOU A SHOUT OUT IN MY IN MY BEGINNING BUT I DO SEE YOU AND I APPRECIATE YOU. I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW MUCH DOES THE CITY SPEND RIGHT NOW ON THE
NOMINATING PANEL AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT PROCESS EACH YEAR AND HOW IS IT TRACKED? WHICH DEPARTMENTS PROVIDE FUNDING AND STAFF SUPPORT AND HOW ARE THESE COSTS DIVIDED?
AND I'M CURIOUS HOW HAS THE CITY ENSURE THAT THE NOMINATING PANEL COMPOSITION COMPLIES WITH THE 1991 ACT PARTICULARLY REGARDING THE FOUR REQUIRED PARENT REPRESENTATIVES ONE FROM
THE CITY WIDE PARENT COUNCIL, ONE FROM THE CITY WIDE EDUCATIONAL COALITION OR FROM THE BOSTON FROM SPEND PAC AND I BELIEVE ALSO DE LAC AND THE BILINGUAL EDUCATION CITYWIDE
PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL WHICH IS NOW DE LAC. I'M CURIOUS WHAT COMMUNICATION EXISTS BETWEEN THESE REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR PARENT ORGANIZATIONS AND HOW DO WE ENSURE THEY CONTINUE TO
REFLECT AND REPRESENT THE NEEDS OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE AUDIENCE PLEASE DO SHARE IF ANY OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN RENAMED OR REPLACED AND WHAT PROCESS WAS USED TO MAKE
THOSE CHANGES AND SINCE I ONLY HAVE 5 MINUTES I'M GOING TO HOLD OFF WITH THE REST OF MY QUESTIONS SO THAT WE CAN GET AT LEAST SOME QUESTIONS AND MY FIRST ROUND THANK YOU.
THANK YOU COUNCILOR FOR THE QUESTION. SO I'LL START OFF ON EXPENDITURES. THERE ARE NO DEDICATED EXPENDITURES RELATED TO THE NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS. ALL OF THE PANEL MEMBERS SERVE AS VOLUNTEERS SO THAT
CONTRIBUTE THEIR OWN VOLUNTEER HOURS. I CONTRIBUTE SOME STAFF TIME. OTHER COLLEAGUES ACROSS CITY AND BPP'S DEPARTMENTS CONTRIBUTE A BIT OF STAFF TIME TO MAKE SURE WE'RE SENDING OUT THE APPLICATION FAR AND WIDE
AND YOU KNOW THERE ARE EFFORTS RELATED TO MAKING SURE APPLICATIONS ARE TRANSLATED INTO ALL MAJOR LANGUAGES BUT IT'S THE NORMAL COURSE OF CITY BUSINESS. THERE'S NO NO SPECIFIC ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES.
SO I DO HAVE A QUICK FOLLOW UP AND I KNOW THIS IS NOT RELATED TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, BUT ARE THOSE ARE THE APPOINTED INDIVIDUALS PAID TO THE NOMINATING AT ALL OR NO, NO,
JUST OUTSIDE LIKE THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE THEY PAID SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS GET A MODEST ANNUAL STIPEND. OKAY SO THEY ARE PAID SO IT'S IT'S OKAY I BELIEVE THIS IS THE
ONLY APPOINTMENT. IS IT ONE OF THE FEW APPOINTMENTS THAT ARE PAID IN THE CITY OF BOSTON LIKE I JUST I DON'T THINK IT'S ONE OF THE ONLY THERE ARE THERE ARE MANY OF YOU MENTIONED I I WOULDN'T
SAY IT'S THE MAJORITY AND PAY VARIES PRETTY WIDELY. TED ROBBINS AND YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG HERE BUT I BELIEVE THE STIPEND WAS SET MANY DECADES AGO AND HASN'T CHANGED AND SO IT'S REALLY IT'S
A MODEST STIPEND THAT MAYBE TRANSPORTATION TO SOME OTHERS. THE STIPEND WAS SET IN 1991 AND HAS NOT CHANGED. THE STIPEND IS A TOTAL OF 70
$500 WHICH COMES DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY $245 EVERY TWO WEEKS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. SORRY TALLY. I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE FUNDING FOR THAT SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MONEY I WASN'T
SURE IF THERE WAS ANY OTHER DOLLARS THAT WE NEEDED TO ACCOUNT FOR AND IS THAT INFORMATION SHARED PUBLICLY WHEN YOU'RE FOR THE NOMINATING? IS THAT ALSO PEOPLE KNOW THAT
THEY IF THEY PARTICIPATE THEY'LL BE GETTING A STIPEND. I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S LISTED EXPLICITLY ON THE APPLICATION. YOU CAN CERTAINLY THINK ABOUT WRITING IT EXPLICITLY IN FUTURE ROUNDS BUT IT IS DISCUSSED AS
PART OF THE ROLE OF SERVING ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE THAT THERE IS A MODEST STIPEND. YES. YEAH. THE REASON WHY I ASK IS BECAUSE YOU KNOW AS A GRADUATE AND A PARENT AND A ADVOCATE I KNOW
THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PARENTS WHO IF THEY KNEW THIS WAS A PAID POSITION, YOU KNOW, THEY MIGHT BE MORE APT TO WANT TO, YOU KNOW, PURSUE AND ALSO SUPPORT AND NOT WORRY ABOUT
THEIR SECOND JOB. YOU KNOW, THIS COULD BE THEIR SECOND JOB IN MANY CASES. RIGHT. FOR SOME FAMILIES WHO POTENTIALLY WOULD WANT TO POTENTIALLY SERVE ARE JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT TYPE
OF COMMUNICATION AND HOW THAT MIGHT HELP STRENGTHEN THE APPLICATION POOL. YOU KNOW, LIKE EVERYDAY PEOPLE LIKE I MEAN EVERYDAY PEOPLE I
MEAN LIKE EVERYDAY PEOPLE NOT EDUCATION FOLKS WHO ARE IN THE INDUSTRY IF YOU WILL BUT JUST LIKE EVERYDAY PEOPLE. YEAH I JUST I'M NOT SURE COME FROM HERE IF YOU KNOW THE
CURRENT DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE COMMITTEE BUT I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE CURRENT DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE COMMITTEE. IN FACT, YOU KNOW WHEN YES I AM
VERY MUCH SO WELL AWARE OF WHO ARE THE FOLKS WHO ARE SITTING IN THESE SEATS RIGHT NOW AND I'M HAPPY TO SEE THE ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WE'VE MADE TO MAKE IT MORE DIVERSE AND
MORE MULTILINGUAL AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT BUT IT STILL BEGS THE QUESTION IN TERMS OF ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER FOLKS WHO
MAY NOT BE IN THE EDUCATION CIRCLE, IF YOU WILL, OR ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT I'M HERE TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF YOU KNOW,
MY RESPONSE WAS GOING TO BE TO YOU IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY PARENTS IN VPAS WHO ALSO CURRENTLY SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE. SO THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS WHO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE ARE
ALSO CURRENT DPS PARENTS. GREAT. THANK YOU. A TALLY GOING BACK TO THE POINT OF YOU KNOW I THINK ABOUT THIS AS ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY RIGHT?
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO POWER AND ARE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THESE SYSTEMS AND CAN EASILY HAVE AN ADVANTAGE OVER OTHER FOLKS.
AND AND WHILE WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AROUND ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY AND TRANSPARENCY, THE NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS REALLY ALLOWS US AN OPPORTUNITY
TO REEVALUATE THE THE PROCESS AND SO THAT IS WHY I AM ASKING THE QUESTION SPECIFICALLY AROUND THOSE WHO MAY NOT KNOW SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS SOMEBODY OR WORK IN AN ORGANIZATION. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST LIKE EVERYDAY PEOPLE.
YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. WE REALLY HAVE TRIED VERY HARD OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO MAKE SURE THE APPLICATION IS BEING SENT OUT NOT ONLY TO THE TYPICAL LISTSERV BUT TO
DIFFERENT COMMUNITY GROUPS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN OR WHO HAVE A MEMBER WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN APPLYING. I THINK WE'VE SEEN A GENERAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS WE'VE RECEIVED EVERY CYCLE WHICH IS ENCOURAGING AND A DEFINITE
INCREASE IN THE DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES REPRESENTED BY THE APPLICATION. SO I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION AND DEFINITELY SHARE THE GOAL. OKAY SO I HAVE TWO MORE QUESTIONS I CAN GET HIM BEFORE MY TIME IS UP.
THANK YOU. THE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I ASKED YES ABOUT THE PARENT GROUPS, THE FOUR MEMBERS REPRESENTING FOUR SAID EACH MEMBER OF THE NOMINATING PANEL SERVES A TWO YEAR TERM SO
GENERALLY EVERY FALL I AND THIS IS THIS IS TRUE NOT ONLY OF THE PARENT REPS BUT THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE NOMINATING PANEL WHO REPRESENT SPECIFIC GROUPS. I'LL REACH BACK OUT TO THE HEADS OF THOSE GROUPS AND REMIND THEM OF THE PROCESS.
REMIND THEM THAT THEY HAVE A MEMBER CURRENTLY SERVING ON THE NOMINATED PANEL AND ASK THEM IF THEY'D LIKE TO TO RESUBMIT THE SAME PERSON OR TO SUBMIT ANOTHER NAME AND IT HAS HAS THOSE DO WE HAVE THE SAME
ORGANIZATIONS? HAVE THEY CHANGED? YOU KNOW, I'M JUST CURIOUS I'M THINKING ABOUT THE PROCESS FOR THE LACK AND THE SPED PACK KIND
OF IF YOU CAN WALK ME THROUGH THE ROLE THAT THOSE PARENTS HAVE PLAYED IN THE NOMINATING PROCESS AND ALSO CONSISTENTLY IN TERMS OF THEIR VOICE, WHAT HAS THAT LOOK LIKE?
SURE. SO THE FOUR PARENT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE NOT CHANGED AT LEAST IN MY TENURE IN THIS ROLE. SO THE FOUR GROUPS ARE ONE IS A CITYWIDE PARENT COUNCIL. THE SECOND IS IN STATE LAW
OF THE CITY WIDE EDUCATIONAL COALITION WHICH HAS BEEN HAS BEEN FILLED BY THE BOSTON PARENT ORGANIZING NETWORK SINCE SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THIS ROLE. THE THIRD IS SET BACK WITH THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENTS
ADVISORY COUNCIL AND THE FOURTH IS IN STATE LAW. IT'S THE BILINGUAL EDUCATION CITYWIDE PARENT COUNCIL WHICH AS YOU SAY IS DILEK. NOW THOSE HAVE BEEN THE SAME AT LEAST OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
EACH OF THE PARENT REPS WHO REPRESENT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS I THINK HAVE THEIR OWN PARTICULAR PROCESS FOR HOW THEY GO BACK TO THEIR BROADER MEMBERSHIP AND DISCUSS THE PROCESS. SO I THINK I'M NOT I DON'T WANT
TO SPEAK FOR THEM. I THINK THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN PROCESS AS FAR AS GOING BACK TO HIS FEEDBACK AT LARGE OR GOING BACK TO SEE THE WHITE PARENT COUNCIL AT LARGE AND DISCUSSING WHERE THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS. BUT I THINK YES. CAN YOU TELL ME FOR THIS
PARTICULAR PROCESS WHEN SCHOOL IS OUT AND THE MEMBERS ARE NOT ACTIVE, I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT ROLE THAT THESE ORGANIZATIONS PLAY IN THIS PROCESS AND WHO
WERE THE POINT PEOPLE FOR YOU IN THE DELIBERATION OF THIS PROCESS? AND JUST SO FOR THE RECORD, I'M REALLY EXCITED WHO HAS BEEN APPOINTED RACHEL SKERRITT HAS BEEN AN ICON, IF YOU WILL, IN
THE EDUCATION SPACE. SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HER LEADERSHIP HERE. SO AGAIN, I WANT TO KNOW FOR THE RECORD THAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL IS REALLY MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY SO
IF YOU COULD JUST TELL ME WHAT WAS THEIR ROLE IN THIS PARTICULAR PROCESS RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH TODAY? SURE. I MEAN THEY'RE FOUR OF THE 13
MEMBERS SO THEY THEY ATTEND THE MEETINGS HAVE A SAY IN WHICH CANDIDATES ARE SELECTED FOR INTERVIEWS AND THEN ARE PART OF THE DELIBERATIONS AFTER INTERVIEWS AS THE PANEL IS PUTTING TOGETHER THE SHORTLIST
OF CANDIDATES TO SEND TO THE MAYOR, I PERSONALLY AS MY ROLE STAFFING THE COMMITTEE I ONLY INTERACT WITH THE ACTUAL REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PANEL AND IT'S UP TO THEM TO THEN COMMUNICATE BACK TO THEIR BROADER MEMBERSHIP.
SO I WOULD HAVE TO ASK THEM HOW EACH OF THEM INTERACTS WITH THEIR BROADER MEMBERSHIP. SO THEN SO JUST FOR THE RECORD EVEN DURING THE SUMMER WHEN THESE OFFICERS IF YOU WILL RIGHT THERE IS THERE IS THERE
IS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THESE NOMINATING MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK TO THEIR MEMBERSHIP AND SOLICIT FEEDBACK THAT YOU GUYS HAVE. THERE IS THERE IS THAT BUILT IN
STRUCTURE THERE? YES, I DO. I BELIEVE THEY DO GO BACK TO THEIR MEMBERSHIP BUT THAT'S NOT PART OF THE NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS OR THE NOMINATING PANEL INFRASTRUCTURE. THAT'S UP TO EACH PARENT REP TO THEN GO BACK TO THEIR EXISTING
INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE PARENT ORGANIZATION JUST FOR THE SAKE OF THE EXERCISE HERE. RIGHT. IF LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS HEARING WITH THE HOPE OF REALLY FIGURING OUT THE
GAPS, I'M JUST CURIOUS IF IF THESE ARE PARENT REPRESENTATIVES. RIGHT. THE PARENT VOICE I'M I'M SORRY. I JUST I JUST THINK THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ME TO
UNDERSTAND ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I'VE WORKED WITH PARENTS PRIOR TO DOING THIS WORK IS THAT PARENTS ALWAYS FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE A VOICE AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE PARENTS ELECTED ON THE APPOINTED SCHOOL
COMMITTEE, THAT DOESN'T NEGATE THE FACT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NOMINATING PANEL RIGHT NOW. AND IF THESE FOUR GROUPS ARE DURING THE SUMMER BREAK, HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE'RE FIDELITY NOT
JUST WITH THIS INSTANCE JUST OVERALL IN GENERAL THERE IS A SOLID STRUCTURE FOR REAL MEANINGFUL PARENT ENGAGEMENT LIKE HOW DO WE KNOW THAT AS A
CITY? HOW DO WE KNOW THAT AS OUR FUNCTION IN MAKING SURE THAT PARENT VOICE IS REFLECTED IN THIS PROCESS AND THIS WE HAVE
TO BE THE PART WHERE 910 MINUTES HOW SOMEBODY HAS A ROLE NOT GOING TO BE SPONSOR. SO I KIND OF GET FLEXIBILITY. THANK YOU. SO CHARLIE, IF YOU COULD JUST YOU KNOW, HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT PIECE RIGHT THERE. SURE.
NO, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. I THINK I WOULD WANT TO FOLLOW UP WITH EACH OF THE FOUR PARENT REPS AS WELL AS THE LEADERSHIP OF EACH OF THEIR RESPECTIVE PARENT ORGANIZATIONS AS I SAID, I THINK EACH PARENT
ORGANIZATION HAS THEIR OWN STRUCTURE AND THEIR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE, THEIR OWN MEETING CADENCE AND THEIR OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS SO I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR THEM BUT I WOULD BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH EACH OF THE FOUR GROUPS AND INVOLVE YOU IN YOUR OFFICE
IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS. THANK YOU KELLY AND THANK YOU CHAIR. I DO APPRECIATE THE AND I WILL NEXT TIME TIME MYSELF SORRY THANK YOU.
ANSWER ME WE'RE GOING TO GO TO FITZGERALD. I WILL NOW ACTUALLY JUST WANT TO TURN OFF MY CAMERA AND WHEN I TURN BACK ON MY CAMERA IT MEANS YOU'RE ON ONE MINUTE. ALL RIGHT? AND THAT WAY WE CAN KEEP IT MOVING.
I JUST KNOW THAT IN THE SECOND PANEL WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE WITH HEART STOPS. I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THAT. SO COUNCILOR FITZGERALD, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND I DON'T THINK WE'LL HAVE
THAT PROBLEM WITH THIS ONE. WE WERE PREPARED FOR TALKING ABOUT EXPENDITURES AND SEEING THAT THERE WAS THAT THERE ARE NO EXPENDITURES. I GUESS A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS I MIGHT HAVE JUST AROUND THE
COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE IS IS THERE A FORMAL OR SCRIPTED SELECTION PROCESS OR IS THIS WHEN YOU GUYS ARE CHOOSING OFF OF THE NOT OUT OF THE NOMINATIONS OR IS IT JUST A MORE FLUID CONVERSATION AMONGST
THE NOMINATING PANEL? I GUESS MAYBE ANOTHER WAY TO ASK THIS IS LIKE WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR WHEN WE LOOK THROUGH ALL OF THE APPLICATIONS? RIGHT. BUT WHAT WOULD VALUES ARE WE
PRIORITIZING OR IS ARE THERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT STAND OUT MORE THAN OTHER THINGS WHEN LOOKING AT APPLICATIONS ON HOW TO DECIDE?
THANKS FOR THE QUESTION, COUNSELOR. WELL, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOU IF YOU DON'T MIND TO. YES. SO WE GET THE APPLICATIONS AND APPLICATION OR AT THE BEGINNING
OF EACH SESSION WE DELIBERATE ON WHICH QUESTIONS TO ASK AND SOME OF THE MAIN THINGS IS THAT WE REALLY LOOK FOR IS HOW IN-TUNE ARE THEY REALLY WITH WHAT'S GOING ON WITH WITH
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS? HOW ARE THEY PAYING REALLY ATTENTION TO THE THINGS THAT ARE THAT ARE COMING UP? WE'RE AWARE OF OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SOME OF THE BIG PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING COMING
INTO INTO LINE WITH THE GREEN NEW DEAL, THE CLOSURES OF SCHOOLS, THINGS OF THAT SORT SEEING HOW KNOWLEDGEABLE THEY ARE AND THEN WE LOOK AT THE WE
ASK ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK IS WHAT ARE THEIR TOP THREE AREAS THAT THEY FEEL WILL IMPROVE THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THEN BASED ON THOSE EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER DECIDES
WHETHER THEY WANT TO BRING THEIR INDIVIDUAL IN FOR A FEE FOR AN INTERVIEW. SO ONCE WE MEET ONE OF OUR
MEETINGS WE DO A FORMAL OR INFORMAL KIND OF VOTE ON WHO WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE COME IN AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, DISCUSS THEIR THEIR ANSWERS TO THE SO
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED ON THE ON THE APPLICATION AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS . IT'S ABOUT A 15 MINUTE INTERVIEW AND AGAIN IT'S MORE
OF A A FILTERING PER SE. AND THEN BASED ON THAT ONCE WE MAKE A DECISION WHO TO INVITE WE INVITE THEM, WE INTERVIEW THEM AND THEN AFTER THAT WE DELIBERATE PUBLICLY AND IT'S
ALL OPEN AND WE MAKE A DECISION ON WHO WE THOUGHT ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS BEST OR WHO WE FELT WOULD WOULD SERVE WOULD SERVE
THE WOULD SERVE THE CHILDREN OF BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THEN AFTER DELIBERATION AND WE VOTE AND SEE AND THEN WE SEND EITHER 3 TO 5 CANDIDATES OVER
TO THE MAYOR AND THE MAYOR MAKES THE FINAL DECISION AND THEY DO FURTHER VETTING. I'M ASSUMING WE'RE JUST A FIRST FILTER THROUGH. IS THAT THE FINAL FINAL SAY?
WE HAVE FIVE CANDIDATES THAT WE FEEL ARE WOULD BE STRONG GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE OF THE CITY AS YOU CAN SEE FROM EVEN THE THE CURRENT MEMBERS QUITE A
FEW FAMILY ARE PARENTS CURRENT PARENTS AND I BELIEVE THEY'RE PRETTY PRETTY DIVERSE AS FAR AS THE SELECTION. SO THAT'S THE PARTNERSHIP OR THE ROLE THAT WE PLAY IN THIS
AND THIS PROCESS. SO OKAY, AS YOU SAID, YOU SEND FIVE NAMES OVER TO THE MAYOR. YES. AND SO IS THAT FIVE AND SHE WILL APPOINT FOUR OUT OF THOSE FIVE. IS THAT FOR HER FOUR APPOINTMENTS OR NO, NO.
WHAT HAPPENS IS USUALLY WHEN THEY'RE EACH INDIVIDUAL OPEN SEAT WE NOMINATE BETWEEN 3 TO 5 NAMES THAT WE FORWARD TO THE MAYOR TO TO INTERVIEW AND THEN SHE WOULD MAKE A DECISION OR
THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD MAKE A DECISION ON WHO THEY WANT TO APPOINT IN THIS CASE THERE ARE FIVE THAT WE SENT ALONG WITH RACHEL AND THEN SHE CHOSE SHE GETS TO CHOOSE WHO SHE INTERVIEWS AND THEN BASED ON
THE INTERVIEW SHE SHE SELECT THE CANDIDATE. UNDERSTOOD. AND THEN THAT APPLIES TO EACH OF THE TYPES OF SEATS THE BUSINESS REP, THE ASSOCIATES, THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, THE COLLEGES IT WILL ALL BE
APPLICATIONS AROUND THAT INDIVIDUAL SEAT. IS IT IS THE PROCESS RIGHT BECAUSE I KNOW LIKE RIGHT THERE'S ONE TEACHER ONE FROM COLLEGES, ONE FROM DC, ONE
BUSINESS REP RIGHT OR COLLEGE I WAS A LITTLE MISLEADING SO THAT LIST OF MEMBERS IS THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE NOMINATING PANEL ITSELF. SO THE NOMINATING PANEL HAS 13 MEMBERS.
FOUR OF THOSE 13 ARE NAMED DIRECTLY BY THE MAYOR AND THE NINE OF THE 13 THAT REPRESENT DIFFERENT GROUPS. THAT'S THE NOMINATING PANEL. THEN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE HAS SEVEN SEATS, SEVEN SEATS. EACH OF THOSE ARE FILLED BY THE
MAYOR ACCORDING TO THE PROCESS THAT THAT WILL JUST LAID OUT. ALL RIGHT. SORRY ABOUT THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT EDUCATION. THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS ARE THERE ANY SECTORS ON THIS
NOMINATING PANEL THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED OR SUBTRACTED SINCE 1991 AND DO WE FEEL THAT THE YOU KNOW, THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE FOR THESE 13 PEOPLE ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL SECTORS
OR IS THERE ANY THAT ARE LOOKING TO BE ADDED AND IF SO WHEN WHEN WE'RE PAST ONES ADDED AND IS THERE ANY THAT WE SHOULD BE ADDING AS WE LOOK FORWARD? OBVIOUSLY I UNDERSTAND KEEPING IT AN ODD NUMBER.
IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. SO TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE HAVE BEEN NO CHANGES SINCE THE STATE LAW INITIALLY WAS WAS PASSED IN 1991. THE SAME 13 SEATS HAVE BEEN HAVE HAVE BEEN THE MEMBERSHIP
OF THE NOMINATING PANEL. I YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S A IT'S A DIVERSE PANEL. IT REALLY DOES REPRESENT MANY DIFFERENT SECTORS OF BOSTON AND THE MEMBERS THEMSELVES ARE I
THINK REFLECTIVE OF THE GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY, PROFESSIONAL DIVERSITY, RACIAL ETHNIC LANGUAGE BACKGROUND DIVERSITY OF BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO I THINK THE PANEL IS SET UP
WELL TO TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING AT ALL PERSPECTIVES AND ALL PERSPECTIVES ARE REPRESENTED AS THEY'RE DELIBERATING. YEAH, AND I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING WAS I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY OTHER SCUTTLEBUTT OUT THERE OF PEOPLE SAYING OH, WE WANT THIS TO BE A
SEAT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, JUST TRYING TO EDUCATE MYSELF. YEAH, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH THAT THAT CONCLUDES MY QUESTIONS. I APPRECIATE ALL YOU GUYS DO FOR BPC. I HAVE THREE KIDS.
I'M A BASS GRADUATE MYSELF AND AND I DO WANT TO APPLAUD RACHEL SKERRITT, FORMER HEADMASTER OF MY ALMA MATER AS WELL FOR HER NEW APPOINTMENT. THAT'S ALL GREAT STUFF.
SO THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. COUNSELOR FITZGERALD ALSO PRESIDENT LOUIJEUNE YOU'RE UP BEFORE. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ANSWERING SO MANY
OF THE QUESTIONS ALREADY. I HAD A QUESTION AGAIN FOR JERRY THE NOMINATING PANEL OF ALL IT'S AN ALL VOLUNTEER SO THERE'S NO MONEY INVOLVED IN EITHER.
IT'S ALL VOLUNTEER TIME PARENTS WHO ARE A PART OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PART OF THE NOMINATING PANEL ARE NOT THEMSELVES. THEY DO NOT RECEIVE A STIPEND. IS THAT CORRECT? YES, CORRECT.
AND MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE DO RECEIVE A STIPEND. CHAIR ROBINSON I BELIEVE YOU SAY THAT THAT STIPEND IS ABOUT 7300 FOR THE YEAR 7570 500 FOR
THE YEAR WHICH AMOUNTS TO LESS THAN A THOUSAND A MONTH. AND HOW MANY EVERY HOW MANY EVERY TWO WEEKS APPROXIMATELY $245 EVERY TWO WEEKS FOR YOUR
LABOR AND YOUR WORK. OH YEAH. WHICH IS NOT A LOT AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE IS A LOT OF HOURS THAT YOU ALL THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PUT
INTO IT AND IT'S ALL TO THE QUIVER WHERE IT PROBABLY ALMOST FEELS LIKE A VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY. IT IS PRETTY MUCH A VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY AND WE WERE LOOKING
BACK AT IT THE FACT THAT THIS NUMBER THAT FIGURE FOR THE STIPEND WAS SET IN 1991 AND I'VE LOOKED AT WHAT THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE MAKING AT THAT TIME AND
THEN LOOK TO WHAT THEY'RE MAKING TODAY AND IF IT'S JUST AMATEUR RIDES ACROSS WHAT 7500 FROM 1991 WOULD EQUAL TODAY IT
COULD PROBABLY BE CLOSER TO $18,000 WHICH IN TERMS OF COUNCILWOMAN MARIA'S POINT, IF PARENTS WERE LOOKING AT THIS AS A SECOND JOB OR SOME PLACE
THAT COULD POSSIBLY GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY FOR THEIR EFFORTS, IT MIGHT BROADEN THE POOL DRASTICALLY. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS SPEND
ANYWHERE FROM 6 TO 10 HOURS A WEEK JUST IN GENERAL MEETINGS AND UPKEEP IN TERMS SO IT'S A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT OF TIME
OFTEN IN THE EVENINGS. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT PEOPLE NEEDING CHILD CARE SUPPORT ETC. YOU KNOW THE IDEA THAT THIS COULD HELP DEFRAY SOME OF THOSE
COSTS YOU'RE RIGHT IT WOULD PROBABLY MEAN THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A BROADER POOL OF PEOPLE APPLYING. IT'S STILL NOT MUCH IN COMPARISON TO WHAT THE REALITY
OF LIFE IS TODAY BUT WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT 70 $500 AND THEN IT IS NOT CHANGED WHEN LIFE IS CHANGED, YOU KNOW WE'RE NOT EVEN MAKING THE MINIMUM WAGE
AND AS CHAIR I CAN TELL YOU MY LIFE IS SPENDING MORE LIKE 30 HOURS A WEEK ON THIS VOLUNTEER POSITION. NOT MANY PEOPLE CAN AFFORD TO VOLUNTEER.
I AM A RETIRED AND SO THEREFORE AM ABLE TO BUT WHEN I WAS WORKING IT WAS REALLY BECAUSE OF THE GENEROSITY OF MY EMPLOYER THAT I WAS ABLE TO PUT
IN THE TIME AND YOU KNOW IN THE AFTERNOONS MORNING TO WHENEVER OTHER TIMES THAT I WAS NEEDED TO ACTUALLY SERVE ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO BE TO DO THAT. AND I KNOW THAT MANY OF OUR
PARENTS WHO WORK HOURLY JOBS OR IN OTHER POSITIONS CANNOT AFFORD TO THAT. SO I WOULD AGAIN URGE YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT THAT IF THE ISSUE OF THE DIVERSITY OF WHO
IS ABLE TO APPLY AND THEREFORE ABLE TO SERVE IS REALLY A GREAT CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU CHAIR ROBINSON AND AGAIN THANK YOU FOR ALL THE
HOURS AND THE TIME THAT YOU DEVOTE TO THIS AND I HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR I BELIEVE TOLLEY YOU SAID THAT IN THIS OPENING YOU RECEIVED MORE APPLICATIONS THAN YOU HAVE IN
THE PAST FOR THIS ONE OPENING WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE INCREASE IN INTEREST IN THE POSITION TO? THANK YOU COUNSELOR YEAH, I
THINK IT WAS IT WAS 17 APPLICATIONS THIS ROUND. I THINK IT'S PARTICULARLY HIGH FOR A SUMMER VACANCY. TYPICALLY THE PANEL RECEIVES MORE APPLICATIONS WHEN IT'S THE END OF A TERM AND PEOPLE ARE EXPECTING THE TERM TO COME UP.
THIS WAS THIS WAS HIGH FOR A SUMMER VACANCY. I I ATTRIBUTE IT FRANKLY I THINK WE'VE WE'VE REALLY TRIED TO SPREAD THE WORD TO TWO MORE CORNERS OF THE CITY INTO MORE
NONTRADITIONAL COMMUNITY GROUPS WHATNOT. I WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH AND AS LIAISON IS WITH DIFFERENT PUBLIC FACING DEPARTMENTS OF OF CITY HALL AND AND OF OPS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SENDING
THE APPLICATION OUT REGULARLY TO ALL THOSE GROUPS AND THEN EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S A IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT'S COMING UP THIS SUMMER. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR CHAIR. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK THE MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND I
WANT TO THANK THE NOMINATING PANEL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO TO ENSURE THAT BEEPED KIDS LIKE LIKE I WAS HAVE ALL THE FEATURES THAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ISSUES OF EQUITY AND
LOOKING AT OUR BLACK AND BROWN KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN YOU KNOW, ROUTINELY DISADVANTAGED BY SYSTEMS AND YOU ALL ARE REALLY TRYING TO DO THE WORK OF HOLDING THAT AND RESPOND TO
THAT. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU, CHAIR ROBINSON AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR DEDICATION AND I WANT TO THANK YOU WILLIAM THOMAS AS WELL. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, MR CHAIR THANK YOU, COUNCILOR PRESIDENT
COUNCILOR FLYNN AGAIN BEFORE IT . THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO JIM ROBINSON FOR HER PROFESSIONALISM FOR SO MANY
YEARS ON THE ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND A TREMENDOUS, TREMENDOUS LEADER AND CHAIR ROBINSON I ALSO BELIEVE THAT
MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE SHOULD RECEIVE SOMETHING MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN THE 7570 $500
PER YEAR. I I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE FIGURE WAS. I, I, I THOUGHT YOU MENTIONED THAT IF IT WAS EQUIVALENT IN
TERMS OF GOING UP WHAT CITY COUNCIL RAISES OR WHATEVER IT COULD BE CLOSER TO 18 AND $19,000 A YEAR THAT THAT SEEMS
REASONABLE TO ME. BUT I DO THINK IT'S I DO THINK THE 70 $500 REALLY IS NOT IS NOT ENOUGH.
IT'S NOT IT'S NOT EVEN ALLOWING YOU TO OR OTHERS REALLY TO EVEN GET INTO THESE MEETINGS AND HAVE PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS
KNOWING THAT YOU'RE KNOW, YOU'RE NOT YOU'RE NEGLECTING SOME TYPE OF FACET IN YOUR LIFE AND WHETHER IT'S CHILD CARE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR CHILD CARE OR
MAYBE YOUR WORK YOU'RE LEAVING WORK EARLY AND MAYBE MAYBE YOU DON'T NECESSARILY GET PAID FOR THAT HOUR OR 2 HOURS. BUT I DO. MY POINT IS I DO THINK IT SHOULD BE INCREASED
SIGNIFICANTLY. THE OTHER POINT I WAS GOING TO MAKE JIM ROBINSON AND I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS BUT DO
THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS AT THE TODAY PARTICIPATE BECAUSE THIS IS A SCHOOL COMMITTEE DO THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE RETIREMENT BOARD SYSTEM?
YES, FROM OUR STIPEND A PERCENTAGE IS TAKEN OUT SEVERAL DOLLARS. I MEAN IT DOESN'T ADD UP TO VERY MUCH BECAUSE IT'S BASED ON
THAT 70 $500. SO YEAH. SO IT MAY BE YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHEN A PERSON WOULD LEAVE. AND AGAIN I SHOULD ALSO MENTION NOT EVERYONE TAKES THE STIPEND.
OKAY SO IT MEANS SO BUT IF SO IF YOU DO IT AND YOU GET NOTHING YOU GET NOTHING IN THE END BUT IF YOU DO YOU'LL GET WHATEVER THAT PERCENTAGE IS BASED ON HOWEVER THAT SYSTEM WORKS.
SO I KNOW THAT AT THIS POINT I THINK MY QUOTE UNQUOTE RETIREMENT IS WORTH A COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS SO IT'S NOT WORTH VERY MUCH YOU RIGHT RIGHT
. BUT BUT CHAIR, IF SAY BUT THAT IN MY OPINION SOMEONE ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND I KNOW THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM PRETTY WELL LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE DO BUT
SOMEONE ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY GET A FULL YEAR OF RETIREMENT ALLOCATED TO THEIR PARTICULAR PENSION.
THEY MIGHT GET A A PARTIAL YEAR. I THINK IF IF YOU ARE ON A SCHOOL COMMITTEE ONE INCENTIVE I THINK IS TO HAVE THAT ONE
YEAR COUNT AS A FULL YEAR TOWARD RETIREMENT BENEFITS IS THAT DO DO UNDERSTAND THAT QUESTION THAT IN TERMS OF I
DON'T BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING REALLY ABOUT THE THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM BECAUSE GIVEN THE THE USUAL SHORT TERMS
THAT PEOPLE WOULD NEVER AND NOT HAVING BEEN A CITY EMPLOYEE PREVIOUSLY THE OKAY IT MAKES YEAH YEAH IF YOU ARE EXPOSED TO
NO BUT IF YOU ARE A IF YOU ARE A SUBSTITUTE SCHOOLTEACHER AND YOU WORK PERIODICALLY YOU DON'T YOU DON'T GET CREDIT FOR A FULL
YEAR OF RETIREMENT FOR THE RETIREMENT YEAR YOU GET PARTIAL YEAR BECAUSE YOU ONLY WORK PART TIME PER SAY. BUT I THINK YOU SHOULD I THINK
YOU SHOULD AS A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER GET CREDIT FOR THE FULL YEAR IN TERMS OF RETIREMENT RETIREMENT YEARS. I THINK THAT'S MAYBE ONE WAY TO
INCENTIVIZE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE PEOPLE TO I THINK THEY SHOULD GET COMPENSATED MORE AND I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A AN ACTIVE MEMBER AND RECEIVE RETIREMENT
BENEFITS JUST LIKE CITY DO BECAUSE THEY BASICALLY ARE CITY EMPLOYEES AND I BELIEVE WHEN
PEOPLE DO WORK I THINK THEY THEY DESERVE A FAIR WAGE AND CHAIR FROM AND YOU YOU MENTIONED YOU PROBABLY WORK ABOUT 30 HOURS A WEEK ON THIS
IS THAT ACCURATE? YES THAT'S THAT'S 30 HOURS A WEEK IS BASICALLY A FULL TIME JOB WHEN YOUR CHAIR IT IS IN FULL TIME JOB. YES.
YEAH. SO SO MADAM CHAIR, WHAT WOULD THE OTHER MEMBERS THE NOT THE CHAIR BUT THEY THEY PROBABLY WORK 20 HOURS A WEEK AS WELL AS
THAT IS THAT ABOUT ACCURATE TO SAY I WOULD SAY 15 TO 20 DEPENDING ON THE WEEK AND DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF YEAR AND SINCE COVID WE HAVE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH MEMBERS TO
REALLY LOOK AT THE ROLE THAT THEY PLAYED. THE AMOUNT OF TIME KIND OF MEETINGS, THE KIND OF PREPARATION THAT THEY'RE GIVEN TO REALLY IMPROVE OUR EFFECTIVENESS.
AND SO WE'VE WORKED WELL WITH THIS THE MAYOR'S TEAM AS WELL AS WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT SCHEME TO CREATE A WEEKLY SCHEDULE AS WELL AS AN ANNUAL CALENDAR FOR MEMBERS
WITH MORE OR LESS QUOTE UNQUOTE REQUIREMENTS BUT REALLY SUGGESTIONS OF WAYS THAT MEMBERS BOTH KEEP IN TOUCH AND UP TO DATE ON THE ISSUES THAT
WE ARE GOING TO BE VOTING ON. MANY PEOPLE THINK THE ONLY TIME WE COME TOGETHER IS AT OUR MEETING, THE PUBLIC MEETING AND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY HOURS
OF PREPARATION AND INDIVIDUAL TIME FOR PEOPLE TO READ THROUGH DRAFT DOCUMENTS, GIVE FEEDBACK BEFORE WE COME TO THAT FINAL MEETING. SO WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO PUT
IN REAL TIME IN REAL PREPARATION TO GO OUT TO SCHOOLS, TO GO OUT TO EVENTS, TO TALK WITH PARENTS. SO IT'S A LOT OF WORK FOR THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS.
I MEAN THEY'RE MAKING A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT TO THE DISTRICT IN ORDER TO REALLY DO THIS JOB AND DO IT WELL.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. BUT WHAT MR CHAIR, DO I HAVE ONE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK ONE FINAL QUESTION TO CHAIR ROBINSON, COUNSELOR OKAY. THANK YOU.
SO CHAIR ROBINSON, YOU SAID SOMETHING TO ME AND I DID THINK ABOUT IT. I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT IN A WHILE BUT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE IN THE SCHOOLS
TALKING TO PRINCIPALS THAT TALKING TO TEACHERS. THEY'RE OBSERVING CLASSROOMS. THEY'RE THEY'RE TALKING TO CAFETERIA WORKERS AND SEEING HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS TO
EXPLAIN EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC WHY WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM AND WHAT IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE ON YOU AS
YOU WORK ON PARTICULAR ISSUES AND AS SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS? WE REPRESENT ALL CHILDREN IN ALL COMMUNITIES NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE OR WHERE THEY ARE
GETTING OUT ALLOWS US TO SEE FIRSTHAND WHAT IS GOING ON TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THE THINGS PEOPLE COME TO TELL YOU ABOUT. PEOPLE LIKE TO TELL YOU THE BAD
THINGS AND THEY NEVER LIKE TO TELL YOU THE GOOD THINGS WHEN WE GO OUT TO THE SCHOOLS WE GET TO SEE THE BALANCE. WE GET TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE OF SCHOOLS. THAT'S GREAT. WE GET TO SEE THE IMPROVEMENTS
WE'VE MADE TO PHYSICAL PLANTS. WE CAN SEE CLASSROOMS OR FACILITIES THAT ARE STRUGGLING . WE GET TO SMELL THE FOOD, WE GET TO SEE THE ENTHUSIASM
OF THE CHILDREN WHO ARE EATING IT OR NOT EATING IT, YOU KNOW, SO WE GET TO SEE THAT BALANCE BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE LIKE TO PUT THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD BUT WE REALLY WANT TO SEE WHAT'S
WORKING, WHAT'S NOT BECAUSE OUR JOB IS THERE TO ADVOCATE AND AS I SAID, WE'RE TRYING TO DIG OUR WAY OUT OF 100 YEARS OF NEGLECT THAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY. WE CAN'T DO IT OVERNIGHT.
BUT YOU KNOW BUT BEING OUT THERE AND REALLY SAYING THAT WE REPRESENT ALL GIVES THAT THAT OPPORTUNITY TO CHAMPION, YOU
KNOW, THOSE FOR WHOM THE SYSTEM IS WORKING BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE THINGS THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE BRINGING TO OUR ATTENTION BUT SHOULD BE NOT WANTING PEOPLE TO
BE COMPLACENT ABOUT THINGS THAT THEY FEEL ARE NOT WORKING FOR THEM. SO I MEAN I THINK WE REALLY WANT TO BE OUT THERE IN REAL TIME AND TO BE REAL PEOPLE SO
THAT PEOPLE CAN PICK UP A PHONE AND CALL US, ASK US TO COME SIT WITH THEM OR OR SHARE A CONCERN SO THAT YOU KNOW, AS I TELL PEOPLE I CAN'T FIX YOUR CONCERN
BUT I CAN CERTAINLY GET IT TO THE ATTENTION OF SOMEBODY THAT CAN. BUT I CAN ONLY DO THAT IF YOU WILL PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL ME OR SEND ME AN EMAIL, YOU KNOW, WE RESPOND TO EMAILS THAT
PEOPLE SEND. WE TALK TO FOLKS AND WE TALK TO THE FOLKS IN THE DISTRICT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE NEEDS ARE GETTING CONNECTED. SO WE REALLY SEE YOURSELVES AS BEING A PULSE OF THE DISTRICT.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT QUOTE UNQUOTE VOTED IN BY FOLKS BUT BECAUSE OF THIS APPOINTMENT WE ARE SAYING WE ARE HERE FOR ALL KIDS IN ALL ISSUES AND THAT'S
REALLY WHAT OUR GROUP REPRESENTS. EACH OF US COMES WITH SPECIALIZED SKILLS IN A PARTICULAR AREA AND WE SHARE THOSE EXPERTIZES WITH EACH
OTHER AND WITH THE DISTRICT AS WE DO OUR WORK SO THAT YOU KNOW THE ISSUE OF REALLY WANTING TO SUPPORT ALL OF THE NEEDS OF OUR KIDS IS TOP MOST IMPORTANT TO
BECAUSE CHANGING OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS IS THE ONLY REASON WHY WE EXIST. WELL THANK YOU CHAIR ROBINSON. I'VE ALWAYS HAD GREAT RESPECT FOR YOU AND THE WORK YOU DO
SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS. MR CHAIR, I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WELL, SIR, WHEN WE WILL NOW GO TO A SECOND ROUND FOR
COLLEAGUES WHO MAY HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THIS PANEL, IT IS TIME FOR DAY ONE. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A PART STOP IN LEBANON BESIDE THE PANEL. I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WILL SHAKE OUT BUT COUNCILMAN, DO
YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER I I DO I DO I DO HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS AND SO I'M CURIOUS TO CONFIRM MY THERE ARE 13
NOMINATING PANEL MEMBERS AND THEY ARE APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR AND WHO SELECTS THEN THE FINAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS FROM THE PANEL'S RECOMMENDATION IN EFFECT THE STRUCTURE COULD
ALLOW THE MAYOR TO INFLUENCE 11 OUT OF 20 INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. AND THEN I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THE CONCERNS THAT THIS UNDERMINES THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE PROCESS WHICH IS AGAIN THE REASON WHY
WE'RE HOSTING THIS HEARING IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMICS BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE'RE LUCKY YOU KNOW THAT WE JUST NEVER KNOW WHO'S GOING TO BE THE MAYOR IN THE FUTURE.
RIGHT? THERE COULD BE SCENARIO, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR TEN YEARS FROM NOW WHEN THERE IS A A MAYOR WHO
IS NOT AS PROGRESSIVE RIGHT. BUT THEY MAY WANT TO BAN BOOKS AND ALL OF THAT SORT OF STUFF. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IN TERMS OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE BODY AND THE PROCESS OF THIS WORK.
SO IF SOMEBODY CAN JUST TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT UNDERMINES THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE PROCESS AND THEN THE STATUE STATES THAT THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS MAY ONLY BE REAPPOINTED IF THEY ARE RENOMINATED BY THE NOMINATING PANEL. HOW HAS IT BEEN POSSIBLE FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS TO BE REPEATEDLY REAPPOINTED AND WHAT
CRITERIA DOES THE PANEL USE WHEN DECIDING TO RENOMINATE SOMEONE AND HOW DOES THE MAYOR'S ROLE INTERACT WITH THAT DECISION? THOSE ARE TWO QUESTIONS AND I HAVE A FEW MORE BUT I'D LIKE TO
UNPACK THOSE TWO RIGHT NOW. SURE. THANK YOU ALSO FOR THE QUESTION. SO ON YOUR YOUR FIRST QUESTION JUST TO MAKE SURE I'M TRACKING THE NUMBERS. THERE ARE 13 MEMBERS OF THE NOMINATING PANEL. THE MAYOR APPOINTS FOUR
OF THEM. SO FOUR OUT OF THE 13 AND THE REST OF THE NINE SEATS ARE DESIGNEES OF DIFFERENT DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS BOSTON. I WOULD SAY THAT THE NOMINATING
PANEL PROVIDES A REALLY IMPORTANT SERVICE IN THE PROCESS. THEY DO A LOT OF THE LEGWORK OF READING THROUGH EVERY APPLICATION AND READING THROUGH THE RESUMES, FIGURING OUT WHICH
OF THESE CANDIDATES SHOULD COME IN TO THE NEXT ROUND TO DO AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FULL PANEL. THEY ARE AT THE NOMINATING PANEL IN AN APPOINTED SYSTEM SO
THEY'RE MEANT TO PROVIDE THAT FIRST PASS OF LOOKING THROUGH ALL THE APPLICATIONS AND PUTTING TOGETHER A SHORTLIST OF 3 TO 5 CANDIDATES FOR EACH VACANCY. BUT THEN THAT LIST ULTIMATELY
GETS SENT TO THE MAYOR AND THE MAYOR MAKES THE FINAL THE FINAL APPOINTMENT THAT LIST. AND THEN TO YOUR SECOND QUESTION I'M SO SORRY. COULD YOU REPEAT THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION? YES.
SO THE STATUTE STATES THAT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS MAY BE POINTED IF THEY ARE RENOMINATED BY THE NOMINATING PANEL. RIGHT. AND HOW YOU KNOW, I'M JUST CURIOUS IT'S BEEN POSSIBLE FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS TO BE
REPEATEDLY REAPPOINTED. WHAT CRITERIA DOES THE PANEL USE WHEN DECIDING TO NOMINATE SOMEONE AND HOW DOES THE MAYOR'S ROLE INTERACT WITH THAT DECISION? YES, THANK YOU FOR FORGETTING IT. SO WHEN SOMEONE IS WHEN
SOMEONE'S TERM IS COMING UP AND ABOUT TO EXPIRE, THEY CAN APPLY FOR AN OPEN SEAT JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CANDIDATE CAN. SO IT'S THE EXACT SAME PROCESS. IF SOMEONE IS CURRENTLY A SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER THEY CAN SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, SEND
THEM THEIR RESUME, GET INVITED FOR AN INTERVIEW ALONGSIDE ANYONE ELSE THAT THE PANEL CHOOSES TO INTERVIEW AND IT'S THE THEY'RE TREATED THE SAME AS ANY OTHER APPLICANT. WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING THERE.
NO, THAT'S IT. AND IF THEY PASS THE THE FIRST YOU KNOW, FILTER THROUGH THEN THEY GO TO THE MAYOR AND THE MAYOR DECIDES WHETHER THEY WANT TO REAPPOINT THEM OR NOT.
THEN WE WE SEND THREE BETWEEN 3 TO 5 NAMES MOST OF THE TIME WE SEND FIVE NAMES TO THE MAYOR AND IN MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THE THAT INCLUDES WHATEVER PERSON
THAT'S REAPPLY AND GETS ALSO GETS THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW AND AND THE THE PANEL SENDS SENDS THAT NAME THROUGH.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS FOR THE RECORD IF WE CAN JUST UNDERSTAND WHO ULTIMATELY OWNS THIS PROCESS. IS IT THE CITY? IS IT BP'S IS IT D.C.? I'M JUST CURIOUS LIKE WHAT
OVERSIGHT MECHANISMS ARE CURRENTLY IN PLACE TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE LAW? WHO WHO OVERSEES THE OVERSEE OR YOUR WHO WHO IS THAT ALI WHO IS WHO IS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE PROCESS. I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION AND I APPRECIATE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU THIS MORNING FOR EXACTLY THAT PURPOSE.
REALLY HAPPY TO SHARE MORE ABOUT HOW THE PROCESS WORKS. I YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OWNS THE PROCESS. I'M THE PERSON THAT STAFFS THE COMMITTEE WHICH MEANS I SEND OUT THE ZOOM LINKS. I MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC NOTICES
ARE POSTED ALL THAT OTHER SORT OF ADMINISTRATIVE BACKEND WORK. BUT THE THE NOMINATING PANEL MEETINGS ARE ARE PUBLIC. THEY'RE NOTICED PUBLICLY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC REGULARLY COME REGULARLY PARTICIPATE IN
PUBLIC. SO I THINK IT'S A A SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY SHARED OVERSIGHT AND WE CERTAINLY MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE AS TRANSPARENT WITH THE PROCESSES AS POSSIBLE. GREAT. THANK YOU.
AND I'M JUST CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM PARENTS IS SIMPLY ALLOWING THE CPC TO ELECT A NEW REP. DOES IT REALLY FEEL ADEQUATE IN TERMS OF JUST KIND OF LIKE THE
PROCESS AND PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR IT TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT AND SO IN PLACE THAT PARENT GROUPS FEEL LIKE THERE'S A MORE RELIABLE PROCESS AND I'M JUST
CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, WHAT STEPS HAVE WE TAKE IN TO AUDIT AND REVALUE, READ AND ASSESS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE THE PROCESS IN TERMS OF THE PARENT ENGAGEMENT PIECE. WHAT IF ANYTHING HAS HAPPENED
THAT YOU KNOW OF EITHER IN YOUR TIME OR BEFORE? YEAH, IT'S A IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I'M NOT SURE I HAVE A GREAT ANSWER. I WOULD WANT TO DEFER TO EACH OF THE FOUR PARENT REPS WHO
REPRESENT THOSE PARENT ORGANIZATIONS. YOU KNOW, IT'S THE THE COMPOSITION OF THE NOMINATING PANEL IS SET BY STATE LAW. SO THOSE FOUR PARENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE A SEAT ON THE PANEL THAT'S SET BY
STATE LAW THAT HASN'T CHANGED IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES. AND I'M CERTAINLY OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS AND CONVERSATION ABOUT WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE FOUR SEATS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLES PARENT COMMUNITY.
I GUESS ONE OTHER THING TOO IS IS THAT I'M JUST CURIOUS IN TERMS OF AN AUDIT. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME EITHER THE STATE OR THE CITY COUNCIL OR THE CITY HAS
REVIEWED OUR PROCESS AND PROVIDED SOME SENSE OF LIKE I THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO GET AT. I WANT TO GET AT WHAT IS WORKING, WHAT IS NOT AND HOW WE CAN MAKE IT BETTER BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS A HEARING JUST TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND AND TO ALSO GET THINGS ON THE RECORD. SO CHARLIE, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU ARE PROVIDING SOME STRUCTURAL INSIGHT HERE BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS HAS ANYONE EVER
THOUGHT OF DOING A FULL DEEPER DIVE IN TERMS OF LIKE HOW DO WE GET HERE BECAUSE IF WE DON'T HAVE AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE THIS IS THE CLOSEST THING THAT WE HAVE TO SOME SORT
OF TRANSPARENT PROCESS IN WHICH THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE ARE HEARD TO SOME EXTENT. RIGHT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE'VE
GOTTEN IN THE PAST THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEATS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FILLED BY CPC OR THE MEDPAC BY INTO YOU KNOW, FOR YEARS THERE HAS BEEN SOME OR AT
LEAST ALLEGEDLY WHEN I SAY ALLEGEDLY BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T CONFIRM OR DENY THAT BUT ALLEGEDLY ACCORDING TO SOME ADVOCATES, YOU KNOW, THERE'VE BEEN SOME VACANCIES THAT THESE
ORGANIZATIONS HAVE NOT HAD A FULL VOICE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS. AND I'LL TELL YOU THIS RIGHT WHEN I WAS IN THE EDUCATION
SPACE I APPLIED TO BE APPOINTED TO THE THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND AT THE TIME THAT I APPLIED I WAS A GRADUATE. I HAD ALL OF THE AND I WAS ALSO
FIRST EDUCATION ADVOCATE AND I THINK BECAUSE THE FIRST THING I SAID WHEN I WALKED INTO THE INTERVIEW WAS THAT EVEN THIS
PROCESS DIDN'T FEEL EQUITABLE, IF YOU WILL RIGHT? BECAUSE I LOOKED AROUND AND AND I KNOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THEN BUT EVEN THE PEOPLE WHO HAD OCCUPIED THOSE SEATS,
IT DIDN'T REALLY FEEL LIKE A SPACE THAT A PARENT LIKE ME IN ALL OF MY ROUGH EDGES WAS GOING TO THRIVE IN OR THAT A VOICE LIKE MINE WAS NOT GOING TO BE THE TYPE OF VOICE THAT THE THE
SITTING MAYOR WOULD WANT IN THAT SPACE. RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT WE GET FROM A LOT OF FOLKS OUT IN THE STREETS IS THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A YOU HAVE TO BE A
DESIRABLE CANDIDATE AND DESIRABLE TO WHO IS WHAT. SOMETIMES PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE THE GOAL IS TO ADVOCATE FIERCELY FOR OUR OUR STUDENTS.
AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF THE MEMBERS NOW ARE DOING JUST THAT. BUT THAT'S THIS ADMINISTRATION WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR TEN OR 20 YEARS FROM NOW AND THAT THIS IS WHY WE WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN REASSESS THIS SO AGAIN, GOING BACK TO YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CPC SORT SEAT IS VACANT. HOW DO WE GO ABOUT MAKING SURE
THAT THE PARENTS ARE REALLY REFLECTED? THANKS, COUNCILOR. SO THE THE FOUR PARENT SEATS HAVE BEEN FILLED AT LEAST FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS DURING
DURING MY TENURE HERE TOO. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE HASN'T BEEN A VACANCY. THOSE FOUR SEATS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FILLED. I KNOW AS I SAID TO EACH OF THE NOMINATING PANEL MEMBERS SERVES A TWO YEAR TERM SO EVERY OTHER
FALL IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EACH ORGANIZATION TO EITHER RE REAPPOINT OR RENAME THE PERSON THAT'S CURRENTLY REPRESENTING THEM OR SEND A NEW NAME. SO THEY CERTAINLY HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE TO TO TAKE THE SEAT FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. BUT OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW IT'S A TWO YEAR TERM AND ALL FOUR OF THOSE SEATS I BELIEVE ALL 13
OF THE NOMINATING PANEL SEATS HAVE BEEN FILLED FOR THE FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS. RIGHT. SO JUST LAST QUESTION BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE TO MOVE ON. WE HAVE OTHER PANELISTS THAT HAVE HEART STOPS BUT I'M JUST
CURIOUS THE THE CURRENT STRUCTURE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1991 AND A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN AND I'M CURIOUS HOW IF YOU HAD A LITTLE MAGIC WAND AND BECAUSE AND AND WILLIAM
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED YOU KNOW THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN BE DOING DIFFERENTLY AND I'M JUST CURIOUS IF IF THERE WERE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU'D LIKE
TO MAKE TO MAKE THIS PROCESS MORE EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL INDIVIDUALS. WHAT WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOU WOULD CHANGE IN THE CURRENT
STRUCTURE NOW AND THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE REFLECTIVE AND TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO AND I'M REALLY HOPING THAT YOU ALL FEEL COMFORTABLE IN SHARING
WHAT THAT POTENTIALLY COULD LOOK LIKE SO THAT MOVING FORWARD WE CAN DO THE WORK. THANK YOU. YEAH, I'M I BOTH RECOGNIZE THAT
THE NOMINATING PANEL IS QUITE DIVERSE AND REALLY DOES HOLD MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND I THINK PRETTY PRETTY ACCURATELY REPRESENTS THE DIVERSITY OF BOSTON.
THE ONE SUGGESTION I MAY MAKE THERE'S NOT A FORMAL ROLE FOR A YOUNG PERSON OR A STUDENT OR RECENT STUDENT. I KNOW IT'S BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE MAYOR AND HER AND HER MAYORAL APPOINTEES. THE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
THAT AS SHE POINTS TO HEALTH REPRESENTATION FROM A RECENT GRADUATE. SO SHE'S MADE SURE TO TO LIFT UP RECENT STUDENT VOICE IN THOSE FOUR MAYORAL SEATS BUT
THAT'S NOT A FORMAL SEAT A FORMAL ROLE ON THE ON THE NOMINATING PANEL BY LAW. I THINK AN ISSUE FOR ME IS MORE
A QUESTION OF OF PROCESS IN MY TEN YEARS OF BEING A SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER I'VE NEVER HAD A FORMAL CONVERSATION WITH THE NOMINATING PANEL AND MY ISSUE WOULD BE MORE TO GIVE THEM AN
UP TODAY PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE A SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER WHAT THAT WHAT THAT PROCESS IS LIKE, WHAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS ARE. SO AS YOU'RE THINKING AND LISTENING TO THE FOLKS THAT
THEY ARE INTERVIEWING, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A TRUE COMMITMENT TO SHOWING UP? THERE'S A LOT OF TIME THAT'S INVOLVED IN THIS. YOU KNOW, ARE THEY AWARE OF THE DIVERSITY OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THE DISTRICT? OFTENTIMES PEOPLE HAVE A PARTICULAR ISSUE THAT THEY MAY BE INTERESTED IN WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE BROAD DEPTH OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND
WHAT IS REALLY WITHIN OUR POWER AND WHAT IS NOT WITHIN OUR POWER TO DO SO REALLY WANTING APPLICANTS TO HAVE A TRUE PICTURE OF UNDERSTANDING AS I SAID BOTH THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE WORK AND THE AND THE LIMITATIONS OF THE ROLE SO THAT THEIR EXPECTATIONS ARE, YOU KNOW, REASONABLE FOR WHAT THEIR
EXPERIENCE WILL BE. YOU THINK, COUNCILMAN, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THE PARENTS IN
THOSE REPRESENTATIVES ARE REALLY TRULY THE VOICE OF THE PARENTS? IT'S HARD TO SAY BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FAMILIES WHO DON'T HAVE THEY'RE BUSY WORKING
TWO JOBS, THREE JOBS AND TAKING CARE OF THE KIDS AND AND WHATNOT. AND SO THEY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TO SERVE IN THOSE PLACES OR HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD. SO IT'S HARD TO SAY HOW DO YOU
GET THOSE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS TO OPEN IT UP SO THAT IT'S MORE THAN JUST THOSE WHO HAVE AND WHO HAVE THE TIME TO HAVE THE LUXURY AND THE TIME TO ACTUALLY SERVE IN THOSE IN
THOSE SPACES? IN THE NINE YEARS I'VE BEEN THERE THOSE SEATS HAVE BEEN FILLED AND THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WHO ARE IN THOSE SPACES HAVE BEEN VERY THOUGHTFUL AND HAVE BEEN REALLY INVOLVED IN
THE CONVERSATIONS IN SELECTING THE THE THAT THE THOSE ARE GOING TO BE NOMINATED BUT I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY GO BACK TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND
REPORT BACK AND SAY WE DID THIS AND THIS IS WHAT I'M DOING NOW EACH ONE ANYWAY. BUT THERE HAVE BEEN ONE WHO THE LAST ONE FROM THE SPREAD PAC HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE AND THE
LAST ONE FROM SUPER PAC HAVE BEEN VERY VOCAL AND REALLY WENT BACK TO HIS CONSTITUENTS AND FELT LIKE I FELT HE REALLY REPRESENTED THEM VERY WELL AND
I'M NOT SAYING THE OTHER TWO OR OTHERS HAVEN'T DONE SO WHICH IS HE'S VOCALIZED IT QUITE A BIT MORE THAN THE OTHER HAS AS WELL. BUT IT WOULD BE IT WOULD BE
INTERESTING TO TO SEE AND GO BACK AND SAY HOW HOW HOW ALIGNED ARE THEIR VOICES TRULY TO THEIR TO THEIR ORGANIZATIONS . THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I KNOW THAT MY TIME IS WAY OVER AND I JUST WANT TO THANK THE CHAIR FOR ALLOWING ME TO GO A LITTLE BIT OVER AND TO YOU ALL I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE THESE CONVERSATIONS
THAT WE SEE THESE AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH RIGHT AND OPPORTUNITIES TO REFLECT AND I'M REALLY EXCITED WITH THE APPOINTMENT THAT THE MAYOR HAS MADE. I KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL MOVING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND GROWING IN THE SAME SPACE AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT WHEN CONSTITUENTS BRING US CONCERNS THAT WE UTILIZE OUR
PLATFORM TO RAISE THOSE CONCERNS WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTS THAT WE HAVE AND ALLOW THE ADMINISTRATION TO HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND SO THAT WE PREVENT THIS THIS YOU KNOW,
POINTING FINGERS THIS WAY AND THAT WAY AND THAT WE CAN GET THIS RIGHT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO WIN ARE THE STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE AND THAT SHOULD BE THE PRIORITY OF EVERYONE WHO IS HERE ON THE ZOOM IS REALLY MAKING SURE THAT
WE'RE ALWAYS CENTERING THE STUDENTS AND SO WE'VE DONE THAT IN THIS TIME TOGETHER WITH THE ADMINISTRATION. SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION PANEL AND I
KNOW I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE TIME SO I'M GOING TO PUT MYSELF ON MUTE AND AND TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CHAIR. I DO KNOW WE HAVE SOME FOLKS
LINED UP FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND OR A I THINK IT'S A PANELIST AS WELL.
THANK YOU CONSTANTLY HERE DO ANY OF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY THE DISTRICT CAPACITY COUNSELOR EVERY DAY WHEN THE SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS WE JUST WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE DO HAVE A SECOND PANEL. WE'VE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING WHAT IF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY FINAL QUESTIONS FOR THIS PANEL ? JUST RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. GREAT. WELL, I REALLY WANT TO THANK OUR PANELISTS. THANK YOU, CHIEF ROBBINS, JERRY ROBINSON AND JOE THOMAS FOR BEING HERE.
I'M PROFESSOR ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS HAS BEEN REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL AND REALLY PROVIDED SOME OF THESE THAT STRUCTURAL BACKGROUND HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL FOR ME.
SO WITH THAT I WILL DISMISS THIS CURRENT PANEL. THANK YOU. AND NOW I WILL BRING UP OUR COMMUNITY PANEL I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY OF THEM ARE PRESENT
WITH US JUST BECAUSE OF CRIME BUT I HAVEN'T HAD THE EYES OF YOUR HANDS. I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF GUIDANCE THAT'S HELPFUL JUST BASED ON SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT I'VE BEEN GETTING FROM SOME FOLKS IS THAT IF WE START
WITH GREG RIGHT, IF GREG HAS 7 MINUTES FOR HIS PRESENTATION AND THEN AFTER GREG'S PRESENTATION WE CAN GO TO LISA GREEN WHO IS TRAVELING IN ITALY
RIGHT NOW BUT IS WILLING TO JOIN US AT 1115. EXACTLY. AND SO I FIGURED THAT THAT COULD BE A GOOD WAY OF US TO UTILIZE THE TIME THAT WE HAVE
AND THEN LET LISA GO AND THEN WE HAVE ONE MORE PERSON THAT WILL COME IN AFTER LISA AND THEN WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS. I JUST WANT TO PRESENT THAT AS AN OPTION GIVEN THE TIME THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH. IF THAT'S FINE THEN CONSIDER
MEJIA. SO I WILL. I'M EASY TO READ THE BOARD GAMES THAT I HAVE HERE JUST WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE. THEY CAN JUST INTRODUCE
THEMSELVES FOR THE RECORD AND THEN YOU CAN GO AHEAD WITH YOUR PRESENTATION. SO GREGORY MAYNARD WAS ACTUALLY DIRECTOR OF THE BLOSSOM POLICY INSTITUTE.
ROSS WILSON I'M DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT AND WITH A STRONG FOUNDATION SHARYN HINTON THEY'RE THE DIRECTOR OF THE BLACK TEACHERS MATTER AND KYLE MCCLAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BLOSSOM EDUCATION
JUSTICE ALLIANCE. SO AND SO NOW WE HAVE GREG WITH US RIGHT NOW SO I WILL TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR GREAT THANK YOU
SO MUCH CHAIR SANTANA AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH COUNSELOR MEGAN FOR INVITING ME TO TESTIFY SO YOU GUYS HAD I, I HAD A LITTLE THING PREPARED OF HOW THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL WORKS, BUT YOU GUYS HAD A
REALLY GREAT PRESENTATION FROM THE FOLKS WHO ACTUALLY WORK ON IT. SO I DON'T I DON'T I, I DON'T THINK I NEED TO NEED TO PRESENT THAT I MEAN BUT SO I CAN TALK A
LITTLE BIT. BOSTON POLICY INSTITUTE HAS DONE SOME WORK ON BEPS. WE PRODUCED AN ORIGINAL REPORT SEVERAL MONTHS AGO LOOKING AT THE FIVE YEAR STATE
INTERVENTION IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. YOU KNOW WE KIND OF QUANTO IT'S UP IT'S THE ONLY THE ONLY REPORT QUANTIFYING WHAT STATE INTERVENTION LOOKED LIKE, WHAT THE OUTCOMES WERE AND HOW BEPS
PERFORMED ON THE GOALS THAT WERE SET OUT BY BP US AND THE STATE AND WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS JUST BECAUSE IT'S
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT BP HAS SEEN OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS IS THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, AN ELECTED VERSUS AN APPOINTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE. BUT THERE'S BEEN VERY LITTLE INTERROGATION OF EXACTLY HOW
THE APPOINTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE PROCESS WORKS CURRENTLY AND LIKE WHAT THE PROCESS ACTUALLY IS. RIGHT. YOU HAVE THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL THAT'S OBVIOUSLY FULL OF YOU KNOW,
APPOINTED BY A BUNCH OF REALLY INTERESTING GROUPS AND WHAT ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE ACTUAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE INTO THE KIND OF GOALS OF THE OF BP GENERALLY IS A LITTLE UNCLEAR BUT IT'S A
REALLY INTERESTING YOU KNOW IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING THING AND SO WE'VE BEEN BP HAS BEEN TRYING TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO KIND OF MOVE THIS DEBATE FROM LIKE WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT BP'S AND THE DIFFERENT
PROCESSES TO WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN BP'S AND THESE DIFFERENT PROCESSES. RIGHT. LIKE IT'S ONE THING TO TALK ABOUT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BUT WE CAN ACTUALLY TRACK OUT LIKE HOW THAT'S GOING AND AND SAY SAM, I'M ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE
RIGHT? WE CAN TALK ABOUT AN ELECTED VERSUS AN APPOINTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE BUT THE REALITY IS THAT LIKE THERE'S NOW, YOU KNOW, 40 YEARS OF ALMOST ALMOST
40 YEARS OF, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 3034 YEARS OF INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE APPOINTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE WORKS. RIGHT. THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1991. IT'S BEEN THROUGH A WHOLE BUNCH
OF ADMINISTRATIONS AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF LIKE POTENTIAL INFORMATION THERE TO KIND OF SEE SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING RIGHT IF WE HAVE CONCERNS WITH THE CURRENT PROCESS, WE HAVE A LOT OF DATA ABOUT WHAT COULD BE
POTENTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE DIFFERENT CONCERNS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNSELOR MARCHAND FOR INVITING ME ON AND THEN I'M HAPPY TO KIND OF ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
WELL OKAY, GREAT TIME. THANK YOU, GREG. I THINK SO. WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER PANELISTS RIGHT NOW, ERNIE, WHEN IT COMES OVER HERE.
SO CORRECT. WE HAVE THE PERSON THAT WE HAD LINED UP AT 1115 IS MAKING HER WAY INTO THE ZOOM. BUT I THOUGHT THAT GREG WAS
GOING TO USE HIS 2 MINUTES 5 MINUTES SO THAT BEING SAID AND THEN WHEN THAT PERSON COMES WITH THE PANELISTS COMES IN THEN WE WILL GET THEM OUT BEFORE WHICH OF THEM FOR ANY
REMARKS THAT I FEEL HE WAS READY TO GO IF YOU WANT TO GO TO CHEOL AND THEN WE CAN GO TO I DIDN'T KILL TO THE PANELISTS
BUT DO YOU WANT TO SEE LISA GREEN ENTER IT AS WELL? OH, LET'S LET LET'S LET'S GO TO LISA THEN PLEASE BECAUSE SHE'S ON VACATION IN ITALY WHILE SHE
WAS AROUND YOUR VACATION AND TO LEAVE I'M IN TERMINA IN THE ANCIENT GREEK THEATER. HELLO. THANKS FOR GIVING ME THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO CHIME IN HERE AND THANKS FOR HAVING THIS HEARING. SO MY NAME AGAIN IS LISA GREEN. I CHAIRED THE THE COMMITTEE FOR
THE ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE BALLOT QUESTION AND HAVE BEEN WORKING ON ISSUES OF EQUITY IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS LARGELY FOCUSING ON GOVERNANCE CHANGE
AS OUR THEORY OF CHANGE THAT THAT MANY OF THE EQUITY PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE HAD IN BOSTON OVER THE YEARS COME DOWN TO THE LACK OF REPRESENTATION, THE LACK OF DEMOCRACY IN HOW OUR SCHOOLS ARE GOVERNED VIA
THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. SO I'M JUST GOING TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE NOMINATING PANEL AND MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, BOSTON REMAINS ONE OF ONLY A TINY HANDFUL OF MUNICIPALITIES IN THE U.S. WHO ARE DEPRIVED OF THE RIGHT TO SELECT OUR OWN REPRESENTATION AND ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE OUR OWN
REPRESENTATIVE DECISION MAKERS TO OVERSEE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO FOUR YEARS AGO 79% OF BOSTON VOTERS DEMANDED THAT RIGHT RESTORED THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED A HOME RULE
PETITION TO MAKE THE CHANGE NO OPPOSITION WAS VOICED AT ANY OF THE HEARINGS LEADING UP TO THE VOTE AND THE MAYOR VETOED AND WE STILL HAVE THE SYSTEM OF MAYORAL CONTROL.
BUT THIS HEARING ISN'T WASN'T CALLED TO DISCUSS THE MERITS OF MAYORAL CONTROL OF SCHOOLS OR THE APPOINTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE BUT THE RELIABILITY OF THE SYSTEM THAT THE ENGINEERS OF THE 1991 MAYORAL TAKEOVER PUT IN PLACE TO
REPLACE DEMOCRAT DIRECT DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATION AND THAT'S THE CITIZENS NOMINATING PANEL THE CITIZENS NOMINATING PANEL HAS NOT OPERATED RELIABLY SINCE ITS INCEPTION LARGELY
BECAUSE IT'S A BUREAUCRATIC GATEKEEPING PROCESS THAT HAPPENS UNDER MOST FOLKS RADAR. IT DOESN'T IT DOESN'T GET MUCH ATTENTION AND IT DOESN'T GET MUCH PRESS. I MEAN FIRST I MYSELF FIRST
BECAME AWARE OF IT WHEN I WAS A MEMBER OF THE CITYWIDE PARENT COUNCIL AND SOME OF US WERE ON SOCIAL MEDIA TALKING ABOUT HOW PARENTS DON'T REALLY HAVE REPRESENTATION UNDER THE
CURRENT SYSTEM WITH AN APPOINTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND SAM TYLER WHO HAD BEEN CHAIR OF THE BOSTON MUNICIPAL RESEARCH BUREAU AND HE WAS ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE
MAYORAL TAKEOVER THAT DESIGNED THE SYSTEMS FOR SOME OF US CAN SEE MEMBERS TALKING ABOUT THAT AND HE HOPPED ON TO SAY THAT WE DID INDEED HAVE REPRESENTATION. AS A MATTER OF FACT, NOT ONLY
DID PARENTS HAVE REPRESENTATION BUT CBC HOW TO SEE AND THAT WAS COMPLETE NEWS TO US. NONE OF US WERE AWARE OF IT. NONE OF THE CPC MEMBERS WERE AWARE OF IT. THE PRESIDENT WHO HAD BEEN
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN ON CBC FOR YEARS. NOBODY KNEW THAT WE HAD A SEAT. NOBODY WAS REPORTING BACK TO US AND SO WE WERE KIND OF SHOCKED BY THAT AND WE REACHED OUT TO
SOME OF THE OTHER FOLKS WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A SEAT. I'M SURE YOU DISCUSSED THIS ALREADY BUT CBC DELUXE BED PACK A COUPLE OF PARENT ORGANIZATIONS HAS A VERY PRESCRIBED PROCESS FOR WHO IS
SUPPOSED TO BE IN THAT. SO WHEN WE REACHED OUT TO THE OTHER FOLKS WE REALIZED THAT CITY WIDE PARENT COUNCIL DIDN'T HAVE A SEAT. ONE OF THE ORGANIZATION THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR A PARENT
GROUP WAS BEING REPRESENTED. THE SEAT FOR A PARENT GROUP WAS BEING REPRESENTED BY SOMEBODY WHO HAD LED A GROUP THAT NO LONGER EXISTED THE TWO PARENT
SEATS FOR THE CPS, CBC AND BACKPACK HAD BEEN FILLED FOR SEVERAL YEARS BY PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T THERE DO LACK DIDN'T HAVE A SEAT. IT WAS JUST KIND OF A MESS. AND WHEN WE WENT TO LOOK TO SEE
HOW THESE MEETINGS HAD GONE, THE NOTES WEREN'T THERE. IT WAS JUST A REALLY UNRELIABLE PROCESS. SO NOT ONLY HAVE WE BEEN DEPRIVED OF REPRESENTATION AS PARENTS AND MEMBERS OF THE
COMMUNITY BUT EVEN THE PROCESS THAT THEY PUT IN PLACE TO REPLACE OUR REPRESENTATION INADEQUATE THOUGH IT WAS WAS NOT BEING FOLLOWED. SINCE THEN THE PROCESS HAS HAD MINOR REPAIRS BUT IT STILL
LACKS TRANSPARENCY AND RELIABILITY. AND NOW THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE MAYOR'S VIEWS. THIS ISN'T ABOUT ANY PARTICULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER. I HEARD TODAY THAT GARRETT WILL
BE NOMINATED FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE I LOVE MISCARRIED AND I'M HAPPY SHE'LL BE THERE RIGHT . BUT THIS PROCESS HAS PRODUCED GREAT MEMBERS AND THIS PROCESS
WHO REPRESENT THEIR COMMUNITY AND THIS PROCESS HAS PRODUCED OTHERS WHO DON'T DO AS MUCH FOR THEIR COMMUNITY DON'T DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GIVING THE SAME TYPE OF REPRESENTATION. RIGHT. AND I DO LARGELY AGREE WITH THE
MAYOR ON EDUCATION ISSUES. RIGHT. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE NEXT MAYOR? THIS PROCESS HAS TO BE A RELIABLE WAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF BOSTON TO GET WHAT REPRESENTATION WE CAN UNDER
THIS SYSTEM. RIGHT. IF THIS IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN DO IT, LET'S AT LEAST MAKE SURE IT WORKS. AND MAYBE THE NOMINATING PROCESS RAN TRANSPARENTLY AND ACCORDING TO THE LAW THIS TIME.
BUT WHAT ABOUT NEXT TIME IN OUR SHOW? SO WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS, YOU KNOW, NO MATTER WHO THE CHOICE OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER HAVING YOUR REPRESENTATIVES CHOSEN FOR YOU IS NEVER THE SAME THING AS
HAVING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE CHOOSE CHOSEN BY YOU. SO YOU KNOW THE THE MAYORAL CONTROL SYSTEM WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT FOR DEMOCRACY BUT
AS LONG AS BOSTON STUCK WITH THE SYSTEM FOR NOW THE SYSTEM OF MAYORAL CONTROL CITIZENS SHOULD AT LEAST BE ASSURED THAT IT'S OPERATING AS IT SHOULD UNDER THE STATUTE. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND AND THAT OUR GROUP HAS TALKED ABOUT THE GROUP BEHIND THE BALLOT QUESTION HAS TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST AND OTHER GROUPS IS THAT THE CITIZENS NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS BE REVIEWED BY
THE STATE AUDITOR AND THAT RECOMMENDATIONS BE MADE TO INCREASE ITS RELIABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY. SO THERE IS A MECHANISM UNDER THE LAW TO DO THAT.
THE THE ALTHOUGH YOU KNOW THE STATE AUDITOR CAN'T GO IN ON THEIR OWN THEY'RE STATUTORILY PROHIBITED FROM CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION INTO A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT UNLESS THEY ARE
ABLE TO DO IT IF IT'S SUPPORTED BY A MAJORITY OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND APPROVED BY THE MAYOR. AND SO THAT I CAN GIVE YOU THE SITE IS GLC 1112 WHICH ALLOWS
FOR AUDITS OF ACCOUNTS PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, FUNCTIONS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE AFOREMENTIONED ACCOUNTS SO IT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO DO THAT. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT I'D JUST LIKE TO LEAVE THIS GROUP WITH IS THE SUGGESTION THAT THERE MAY BE A MECHANISM FOR US TO AT LEAST SEE IF THE PROCESS IS WORKING AS IT SHOULD AND PERHAPS TAKE
SOME ACTION TO AMEND IT AND THAT'S THAT'S ALL I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS AND THANKS FOR HOLDING THIS HEARING AND THANKS FOR LOOKING AT THIS PROCESS BECAUSE IT IS REALLY THE ONLY THING THE ONLY SORT
OF CONNECTION THAT WE HAVE WITH THAT AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE THIS IS REPLACING OUR ABILITY TO VOTE. SO LET'S TRY AND MAKE SURE IT WORKS AND IT WORKS RELIABLY. AND JUST FOLLOW UP ON LISA'S
POINT THAT YOU DIDN'T I DIDN'T JUST TO BE REALLY CLEAR ABOUT LIKE HOW KIND OF UNTRANSPARENT THE CURRENT LIKE THIS PROCESS THAT JUST HAPPENED WAS YEAH MEETINGS THAT TAKE PLACE ARE NOT THEY'RE DONE OVER ZOOM BUT THEY ARE NOT RECORDED OR POSTED
THE APPLICATIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED ARE NEVER PUT OUT IN PUBLIC ON A LIST OF APPLICANTS AND THEIR OPERATIONS WAS NOT PUBLISHED IN PUBLIC RIGHT FOR ANYBODY THE VOTES OF THE SCHOOL
COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL ARE NOT PUBLISHED OR PUT OUT IN PUBLIC AND THE FINALISTS LIST THAT RACHEL SKERRITT WAS JUST PICKED OFF OF WAS NEVER ACTUALLY PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC.
AND SO THAT'S UNDER LIKE THIS CURRENT SYSTEM THAT SAW YOU KNOW, HAVING DEALT WITH THE PROBLEMS THAT LISA JUST DESCRIBED. THIS IS LIKE THIS IS LIKE AN
IMPROVED VERSION OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL THAT LISA ENCOUNTERED. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO. RIGHT. SO IT'S LIKE EVEN UNDER THIS CURRENT SYSTEM THERE IS A TON
OF INFORMATION THAT JUST ISN'T AVAILABLE AND THOSE ARE LIKE CHOICES, RIGHT? IT'S A CHOICE NOT TO REPORT THE MEETINGS. IT'S A CHOICE NOT TO POST THE APPLICATIONS AND IT'S A CHOICE THAT LIKE HAS BEEN MADE FOR, YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
MEMBERS THAT CURRENTLY SERVES WAS SELECTED UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION. SO RIGHT LIKE THIS IS IT'S A RITUAL EVERY YEAR BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND YEARS I'LL GET CALLS FROM REPORTERS LIKE HER.
DO YOU KNOW WHO THE NOMINEE IS ? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NOMINEE? AND WE'LL GO AND WE'LL LOOK AT THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WEBSITE. THERE'S NO NOTES. THERE'S NO NOTHING NOW THAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED THIS TIME BUT IT'S FAR FROM TRANSPARENT AND
ALL OF THAT. RIGHT. THE BIG DING ON THIS SYSTEM IS THAT IT FEELS LIKE IT'S CONTROLLED BY THE MAYOR AND IT FEELS LIKE THESE ARE ALL LITTLE PANTOMIME PROCESSES AND BEING
THAT YOU KNOW, THAT LACK OF TRANSPARENCY JUST FEEDS THAT RIGHT. YOU HAVE THESE LISTS THAT COME OUT OF NOWHERE. YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THE DELIBERATION CAME FROM. SO WHEN THERE ISN'T TRANSPARENCY PEOPLE CONSTRUCT
THEIR OWN NARRATIVE AND IT'S NOT A NARRATIVE OF TRUST IN THIS CASE PEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE PROCESS IS BEING FOLLOWED OR THAT THEY'RE BEING REPRESENTED AND YEAH, AND YEAR AFTER YEAR IT'S THE SAME THING EVERY YOU KNOW, JANUARY EXCUSE
ME DECEMBER 27 SOMEBODY WILL CALL FROM THE PAPER AND BE LIKE DO YOU KNOW WHO THE NOMINEE IS IS WE DON'T RIGHT. AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE SWORN IN. WHEN DO YOU GUYS GET SWORN IN? THEY GET SWORN IN THE SAME TIME AS YOU DO LIKE JANUARY 2ND OR SOMETHING.
NOBODY KNOWS WHO THEY ARE EVEN AT THAT POINT. SO IT'S GOOD THAT MAYOR WU IS ANNOUNCING THESE THINGS EARLIER BUT THERE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, LATE DECEMBERS WHERE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHO THE NOMINEE IS AND THEY'RE GOING TO GET SWORN
IN AT NEW YEAR'S. SO YEAH, THE PROCESS IS NOT GREAT AND ANYTHING YOU GUYS COULD DO TO LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE GREAT.
AND SO I WOULD FIGURE AND LISA AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS I KNOW A LOT OF YOU SUPPORT THE ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE SO I'M GOING TO PUT A PLUG IN FOR THAT ANY TIME ANYBODY WANTS TO RESURRECT THAT HOME RULE PETITION I KNOW THAT
COUNCILOR MICKEY HAS IT. YOU KNOW WE'RE THERE FOR YOU. I THINK PEOPLE DO REALLY STILL WANT IT. PEOPLE REALLY THERE'S NO WRAPPERS. THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT FOR DEMOCRACY.
PEOPLE FEEL THE DIFFERENCE AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK YOU WILL SINCE AT LEAST BE MEETING MINUTES HAVE BEEN POSTED ONLINE
ON THE FINALIST WEB POLL AS TO SEE IF THAT'S HAPPENED PRIOR TO IT. YEAH I MEAN THE NOTES ALL AND I MEAN I'M NOT GOING TO SPEAK FOR MAYOR I'M SURE MAYOR WAS DOING A GOOD JOB OF IT.
YOU KNOW THE NOTES ALL ENDED UP THERE EVEN UNDER THE WALSH ADMINISTRATION. BUT THEY DID THEY POST LIKE THREE YEARS OF NOTES ALL AT ONCE. RIGHT. LIKE SO IN THE END AND THE PUBLICITY OF IT.
RIGHT. LIKE HOW IS IT PUBLICIZED? IT'S NOT A PROCESS LIKE AN ELECTION WOULD BE YOU KNOW I KNOW WE'RE NOT HERE TO DEBATE THAT BUT IT'S NOT A PROCESS LIKE AN ELECTION WOULD BE WHERE PEOPLE ARE IN YOUR HOME, PEOPLE ARE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
TALKING TO YOU ABOUT STUFF. I THINK IF YOU POLLED PEOPLE 99.9% OF PEOPLE WOULDN'T KNOW IT WAS HAPPENING ALSO HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT AGAIN? YOU SAID THE LIST OF FINALISTS WAS NOT PUBLISHED AFTER THE MEETING LAST WEEK.
WELL, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MEETING MINUTES YEAH, YEAH MEETING MEETING MEETING MINUTES ARE POSTED BUT MEETING MINUTES ARE ONLY POSTED AFTER THEY'RE APPROVED AT THE NEXT MEETING. SO THE MEETING WHERE THEY ACTUALLY SAID WHO THE FINALISTS
WERE GOING TO BE THERE WON'T BE ANOTHER SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL MEETING UNTIL AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. SO THE LIST OF PANELISTS OF FINALISTS WON'T BE PUBLISHED AS APPROVED MINUTES UNTIL THE
NEXT MEETING OF THE BODY WHICH IS IN DECEMBER. SO LIKE THERE ISN'T LIKE IF YOU DIDN'T IF YOU IF YOU DIDN'T JOIN THE ZOOM LAST LAST WEEK TWO WEEKS LIKE IF YOU IF YOU
DIDN'T JOIN THAT ZOOM AND HEAR WHO THEY VOTED ON THEN YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHO THE FINALISTS WERE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU. AND IF YOU ASK IF YOU ASKED HOLLY ROBINS, SHE'LL TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN FILE A PUBLIC
RECORDS REQUEST IF YOU WANT THAT INFORMATION WHICH ANYONE WHO'S COMPILED OF POWER FILED A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST WITH BOSTON KNOWS THAT LIKE THE CITY IS NOT FAMOUS FOR RESPONDING
VERY QUICKLY TO THIS RIGHT RIGHT AND LIKE AND IT'S KIND OF IT'S IT'S PRETTY IT'S PRETTY SILLY IT'S PRETTY SILLY TO NOT HAVE THE FINALISTS LET'S BE LIKE PUBLISHED. YEAH.
AND THIS MAY BE AS WELL AS IT'S WORKED SINCE IT'S BEEN INCEPTED RIGHT SINCE THE INCEPTION 30 YEARS AGO THIS MAY BE AS WELL AS IT'S WORKING BUT IT'S NOT A IT'S NOT TRANSPARENT AND IT'S AND IT'S NOT REPRESENTATION IN
IN ANY WAY. NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT THE MEETINGS. NOBODY GOES TO THE MEETINGS. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE DESERVE BETTER THAN THAT. WE DESERVE WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE HAS EVERY YOU KNOW, THERE'S A HANDFUL OF CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES IS STILL HAVE MAYORAL
CONTROL. THEY DID IT AFTER US. MANY ARE GETTING RID OF IT NOW BUT LIKE WE'RE THE ONLY ONES IN MASSACHUSETTS TOO BARRING STATE TAKEOVERS LIKE IN LAWRENCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WE CAN HANDLE AT BOSTON'S AND ENGAGED
COMMUNITY WE CAN HANDLE IT ABSOLUTELY. NOW WHAT? THANK YOU AGAIN LIZA AND GREG FOR BEING HERE FOR THE PRESENTATION. YOU NOT GO TO MY
COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FOR ANY QUESTIONS AS MEJIA JUST TO PUT IT WE'VE WE HAVE BEEN INVITING JILL MCLEARY INTO TO BE TO JOIN
THE PANELISTS AND I'M FEEL THAT THEY HAD AN EMERGENCY THAT THEY NEEDED TO DROP OFF WE DO HAVE ONE MORE PANELIST THAT WILL BE JOINING US AT 1145 AND SO WHAT
WE CAN DO IS WE CAN MOVE ON TO SOME QUESTIONS TO GO AND GREG WHETHER WHILE WE WAIT IS THAT OKAY? WE HAVE CHAIRMAN HINTON ALREADY WE STILL HAVE CHAIRMAN HINTON
RIGHT ON THAT THEY ARE NOT PRESENT SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO POSITIVE QUESTIONS. WE WILL HAVE 5 MINUTES FOR COUNSELOR I WILL TURN OFF MY CAMERA WHEN YOU'RE GOING WHEN I
TURN BACK FOR MY CAMERA IT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. LET'S JUST TRY TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT. SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH ALLISON HERE WHO IS THE LEAD SPONSOR WITH YOUR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU. AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE BOTH GREG AND LISA REALLY UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY ESPECIALLY IN THE MOMENT THAT WE'RE OPERATING IN ON THE
NATIONAL SCALE IN TERMS OF JUST HOW PEOPLE WANT TO BE MORE ENGAGED IN POLITICAL PROCESSES RIGHT? PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND SO I'M JUST
CURIOUS WHAT IF I ASK THE QUESTION TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ALL TO IF YOU HAD A LITTLE MAGIC WAND ,WHAT WOULD BE SOME OF THE CHANGES SPECIFIC CHANGES THAT YOU WOULD OR RECOMMENDATIONS
THAT YOU WOULD MAKE IN ORDER FOR THIS NOMINATING PANEL TO FEEL MORE DEMOCRATIC? AND I'M GOING TO GO TO LISA FIRST SINCE SHE'S IN THE COUNTRY AND THEN GREG GOES
YEAH, I WOULD SAY MORE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, RIGHT? LIKE THEY DO SOLICIT NOMINATIONS BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME THING AS YOU KNOW, SORT OF GOING INTO THE SCHOOLS AND TALKING ABOUT IT MAYBE IF IF THIS PROCESS IS MEANT TO BE
REPLACING OUR OUR REPRESENTATIVES, OUR ABILITY TO VOTE FOR OUR OWN REPRESENTATIVES, WE SHOULD BE IN THERE AT THE CPAC MEETINGS AND AT THE SCHOOLS AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT PARENTS
ESPECIALLY ARE AWARE OF IT. SO SO ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY TO GET MORE NOMINATIONS. I KNOW THAT NOTICES GET SENT OUT BUT IT'S KIND OF NOT THE SAME THING AS EXPLAINING THE PROCESS THAT WOULD BE
DEFINITELY A RECOMMENDATION AND THEN RECORDING THE SESSIONS FOR SURE THERE CAN BE PRIVATE DELIBERATIONS. THOSE DELIBERATIONS DON'T HAVE TO BE RECORDED BUT THE REST
OF THE MEETING CAN BE RECORDED RIGHT? LIKE IF YOU'RE IN THE HIRING SECTION OF IT THAT CAN BE, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS BUT THE REST OF IT SHOULD BE RECORDED AND AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE TO SEE AND THOSE RECORDINGS SHOULD BE PUBLICIZED
. THERE JUST HAS TO BE A WAY TO ENGAGE PEOPLE. YEAH, I'M GOING TO SECOND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE MAN LIKE SO YOU KNOW COMING FROM BOSTON POLICY INSTITUTE RIGHT WE HAVE
OUR AIR GENERATED NEWS FEED WE HAVE OUR ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT FEEDS FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS, CLASSROOMS, CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND ALL BOSTON CITY TV ALL THE STUFF THAT'S POSTED ON BOSTON CITY TV.
SO AND THAT'S LIKE A BIG YOU KNOW IT'S ESPECIALLY IN 2025 WHEN THERE ARE VERY FEW REPORTERS ASSIGNED TO CITY HALL IF MEETINGS DON'T GET RECORDED THAT EFFECTIVELY MEANS THAT
REPORTERS ARE NOT GOING TO REPORT ON THEM AND SO THOSE MEETINGS SHOULD BE RECORDED. THE APPLICATION THAT ARE SUBMITTED IT SHOULD BE CLEAR THAT THOSE APPLICATIONS ARE GOING TO BE MADE PUBLIC AND
THEY SHOULD BE MADE PUBLIC AND THEN I THINK IT'S PROBABLY IMPORTANT YOU KNOW, YOU SEE IT IN OTHER YOU SEE IT LIKE WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT IS HIRED FOR INSTANCE, THAT THERE'S A PUBLIC QUESTIONING PROCESS.
RIGHT. AND IT WOULD PROBABLY BE USEFUL, RIGHT? IT SEEMS WORTH IT LIKE I WOULD THINK FOR LIKE THIS COMMITTEE, THIS EDUCATION COMMITTEE TO INTERVIEW THE FIVE FINALISTS IN IN PUBLIC.
RIGHT. OR LIKE THE MAYOR CAN HOST A TOWN HALL WITH THOSE THOSE FIVE FINALISTS BUT HAVE SOME PROCESS BETWEEN WHEN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL PICKS THEM AND WHEN THEY'RE CHOSEN BY THE MAYOR TO HAVE
SOME KIND OF KIND OF PUBLIC PUBLIC OUTING LIKE LIKE LISA KIND OF MENTIONED, THERE'S NO ELECTORAL IT IT'S CLEAR THAT THIS WAS SET UP AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR RIGHT THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOMINATING PANEL BEARS A LOT
OF RESEMBLANCE TO THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS AND THE LANDMARKS COMMISSION AND THE ZONING COMMISSION AND THOSE MEETINGS ARE DONE IN PUBLIC. ALL THEIR PAPERWORK IS PUBLISHED BEFOREHAND.
FOLKS COME AND TESTIFY RIGHT. THAT WAS I THINK THAT WAS CLEARLY THE INTENT. IF YOU READ BACK WHAT THE MRP WROTE BACK IN THE EARLY NINETIES, THAT WAS CLEARLY THE INTENT OF THIS BODY AND THE
PROCESS WE HAVE NOW IS YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST PRETTY OPAQUE AND LACKS A LOT OF INFORMATION AND SO YOU JUST DON'T GET LIKE A CLEAR YOU KNOW LIKE THERE'S
THERE'S VERY LITTLE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THIS IN THIS PROCESS AND THERE'S A BUNCH OF THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE WITHOUT CHANGING ANY LAWS, RIGHT? THERE'S LIKE ZOOM NOBODY WAS THINKING ABOUT VIRTUAL MEETINGS IN 1991 WHEN THEY WROTE THIS LAW. RIGHT.
THERE'S NOTHING STOPPING THEM FROM PUBLISHING THESE MEETINGS. YEAH. YEAH. AND I WANT TO NOTE FOR THE RECORD IS THAT YOU KNOW, INITIALLY WHEN WE WROTE THE HEARING ORDER IT WAS WITH THE GOAL OF HAVING IT IN MY COMMITTEE WHICH IS GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBLE CITY WHICH GETS TO A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES. BUT WE WERE ALSO LOOKING AT THE FUNDING FROM A POST AUDIT YOU KNOW WHAT IF ANY DOLLARS WE GET
WE SPEND BUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE REAL THE REAL NUTS AND BOLTS OF WHY I WANTED TO HAVE THIS PUBLIC CONVERSATION BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY IF THINGS ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE OR TRANSPARENT THEN
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO QUESTION, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT GOVERNMENT IS REALLY WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE. AND I GUESS THE LAST THING THAT I THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IS THAT SIMILAR TO OTHER
COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS THERE IS A PROCESS IN WHICH THE CITY COUNCIL PARTICIPATES IN. AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS LIKE UNTIL WE GET THIS RIGHT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO AT THE VERY LEAST ASIDE FROM
THE PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO PLAY A ROLE BECAUSE WE ARE THE CHOSEN TO THE ADMINISTRATION SO I'M GOING TO GO TO LIZA FIRST AND THEN GREG LIKE WHAT ROLE IF ANY WOULD YOU SEE THE CITY COUNCIL AT THE VERY LEAST
FILLING IN THE GAP UNTIL WE GET THIS RIGHT FOR NOW? RIGHT. I THINK I THINK A HEARING IS ONE WAY OF DOING IT RIGHT LIKE LIKE YOU'RE DOING NOW. BUT IN TERMS OF GETTING THE
WORD OUT, YOU GUYS HAVE A MUCH BIGGER AUDIENCE, RIGHT? THE MAYOR HAS A BIG AUDIENCE. YOU GUYS HAVE A BIG AUDIENCE. SO IF YOU FULLY ENGAGE IN THE PROCESS YOU HAVE A HEARING. YOU ASK FOR FEEDBACK, YOU MAYBE
PUT THE NOMINEES OUT THERE. I THINK YOU KNOW, PUTTING IT ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WEBSITE IS ONE THING PUTTING IT ON THE MAYOR'S SOCIALS OR YOUR SOCIALS IS GOING TO GO A LOT FURTHER RIGHT LIKE SO FULL ENGAGEMENT
TO TRY AND GET THE WORD OUT AND A HEARING WOULD BE A GREAT PLATFORM FOR THAT AS WELL. YOU COULD YOU COULD PUT THAT ON THE SOCIALS. I ALSO THINK YOU GUYS DO I BELIEVE THE FOUR MAYORAL APPOINTEES ARE APPROVED BY THE
BOSTON CITY COUNCIL. YOU GUYS YOU GUYS APPROVED THEM. THEY'RE NOT JUST APPOINTED STRAIGHT ON TO THE COUNCIL RIGHT THAT AM I AM I? I DON'T THINK SO BUT OKAY THEY
JUST GO STRAIGHT ON BUT YOU COULD CHANGE YOU COULD MAKE THEM RIGHT LIKE YOU GUYS APPROVE. ZEBA IS ON IT LIKE BOSTON. BOSTON CITY COUNCIL HAS HAS APPROVAL OVER VAST NUMBERS OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN
BOSTON. RIGHT. LIKE IT'S A MAJOR PART OF WHAT? OF WHAT THE CITY COUNCIL DOES. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU GUYS COULD HAVE AT LEAST OVER THOSE FOR AT LEAST OVER THOSE FOUR AND
THAT'S THE OTHER PIECE, RIGHT LIKE LISA WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH THESE WITH ALL THESE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCESS LIKE THERE'S NOTHING STOPPING THE PARENTS GROUPS FROM TALKING
ABOUT THIS STUFF FROM THE PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATIONS, FROM TALKING ABOUT THIS STUFF THE TEACHERS UNIONS, THE YOU KNOW, THE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER, THE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSIONER LIKE LIKE THERE'S ALL OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT BUT THEY JUST HAVE TO BE THERE HAS TO BE A CHOICE BY THE FOLKS WHO ARE ENGAGED IN THIS PROCESS TO ACTUALLY HAVE A PUBLIC PROCESS AND THE DECISION HAS BEEN TO NOT DO THAT RIGHT.
THE DECISION HAS BEEN COULD MAKE US A PRETTY OPAQUE OPAQUE PROCESS BUT THAT'S A CHOICE AND YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENT ONE RIGHT THINGS THAT THEY WANT TO PUBLICIZE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW PEOPLE WANT TO PUBLICIZE GET PUBLICIZE AND THINGS THAT DON'T
LIKE THIS ONE YOU KNOW IT'S POSTED ON THE WEBSITE. YOU HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT. YOU KNOW IT IS A CHOICE. ABSOLUTELY AGREE. I THINK YOU AND I KNOW THE CHAIR HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY PATIENT WITH ME.
I SEE THAT YOUR CAMERA IS ON SO I'M GOING TO YIELD BACK TO YOU AND YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THANK YOU FOR THE INDULGENCE. THANK YOU ALSO.
AND WE'LL GO WE'LL COME RIGHT BACK TO YOU. BUT FOR ME I THINK FOR FLYNN WHAT I'M ACTUALLY I HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION IS IT THAT LOCAL PARENTS ARE GETTING AROUND COUNCILOR FLYNN YOU HAVE BEFORE?
YEAH. THANK YOU, BECKY MR CHAIR AND WASN'T REALLY PREPARED TO TO HIGHLIGHT THIS BUT I LISTENED TO THE CONVERSATION THE LAST
2020 MINUTES OR SO AND WAS UNTIL RECENTLY I LISTENED TO GREG AS WELL. SO THE THE CHANGE FROM AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO AN
APPOINTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE HAPPENED DURING THE FLYNN ADMINISTRATION AND UM AND I
DISAGREE WITH I DISAGREE WITH THAT WITH THAT CHANGE I BELIEVE RESIDENTS DO WANT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ELECT THEIR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND
IT'S NOTHING AGAINST THE CURRENT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I THINK THEY'RE WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND THEY'RE TRYING THEIR BEST. BUT I DO THINK BOSTON RESIDENTS
WANT AN OPPORTUNITY TO ELECT THEIR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE BUT ALSO TO ENGAGE THEM AS WELL
ON ISSUES IMPACTING ISSUES IMPACTING PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BOSTON. AND AS LISA MENTIONED UNTIL WE
GET THERE, THIS IS THE PROCESS WE HAVE AND AND I AGREE THAT THE PROCESS NEEDS TO BE CHANGED AND I'M TRYING TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS AND OFFER A
CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW I BELIEVE WE COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CURRENT PROCESS SO THAT THERE IS SOME TYPE OF TRANSPARENCY ALTHOUGH I
HAVEN'T I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU I HAVEN'T FOLLOWED THIS PROCESS ALL THAT CLOSELY BUT I'M WILLING TO I'M WILLING TO WORK WITH PEOPLE ON THAT PROCESS.
BUT I GUESS THE BIGGER QUESTION IS WHY ARE WE NOT HAVING A DISCUSSION ON THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTION
PROCESS AND FOR SOME REASON THAT DEBATE HAS NOT HAPPENED ON THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL FOR
SEVERAL YEARS AND WE WE ARE NOT DISCUSSING IT. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REASONS ARE. I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO SPECULATE BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO AT LEAST HAVE A
CONVERSATION ABOUT SHOULD BOSTON CONSIDER GOING BACK TO AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE? DO RESIDENTS SHOULD RESIDENTS
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ELECT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND I THINK THEY SHOULD. I THINK THEY SHOULD BUT BUT NOT
TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ON IT. ON THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL. I DON'T THINK THAT'S HELPFUL. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A DEBATE AND A VOTE ON IT ON THE
BOSTON CITY COUNCIL AND THEN LET PEOPLE LET PEOPLE STAND ON THAT VOTE AND LEAD ELECTED OFFICIALS TAKE A TOUGH VOTE.
BUT I THINK IT'S NECESSARY TO TAKE A TOUGH VOTE TO MAKE STRUCTURAL CHANGES. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU IF YOU'RE WILLING TO MAKE A TOUGH VOTE, MAYBE YOU CAN MAKE STRUCTURAL CHANGES.
BUT IS THAT IS THAT CRITICAL IS A CRITICAL TO HAVE AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE? I THINK BOSTON RESIDENTS HAVE
CLEARLY SAID THEY WANTED THE THE CITY COUNCILORS DON'T DON'T WANT IT BUT THE BUT THEY RESIDENTS OF THE CITY DO WANT AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE NUMBERS WERE BUT IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT VOTE WHERE RESIDENTS WANT A ELECTED TO SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
SO LISA, LET ME JUST ASK YOU A QUICK QUICK QUESTION. SO HAVE YOU GIVEN UP ON AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE BECAUSE THE THE BOSTON CITY
COUNCIL REFUSED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE AND SO WE ARE SORRY. YEAH, NO, WE HAVEN'T GIVEN UP ON IT. I KNOW THAT COUNCILOR B HERE
REFILED THE HOME RULE PETITION I MEAN IN THE END HONESTLY WE NEED THE ENGAGEMENT FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE RIGHT. I THINK IF YOU REMEMBER THE PROCESS LAST TIME THERE WERE
HEARINGS HELD WE ASKED YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WAS INVITED AND WE WENT THROUGH THAT WHOLE PROCESS. YOU GUYS PASSED IT AND IT WAS VETOED.
SO WE WOULD LOVE TO ENGAGE WITH THE MAYOR ON WHAT SHE SEES AS YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A MIDDLE GROUND THAT CAN BE REACHED. I THINK THE PEOPLE OF BOSTON WANT A FULLY ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE LIKE EVERYBODY.
WHY WOULDN'T WE WHY WOULD WE GIVE BACK PART OF OUR POWER? BUT IF IT'S A SHARED SITUATION THAT THE MAYOR WANTS, LET'S HEAR WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY OR ANY MAYOR. RIGHT. WHOEVER IS THE MAYOR, LET'S HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY AND
LET'S HAVE THESE MEETINGS. BUT NO, WE HAVE A GIVE IT UP ON IT. ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. AND I KNOW COUNCILOR MIA, YOU FILED THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS SESSION RIGHT? I DON'T I DON'T THINK IT'LL
PASS WITH THIS CURRENT BODY THOUGH. AND THE CITY COUNCIL WE'D HAVE TO SEE LIKE YOU KNOW, I THINK WE KNOW THAT WE CAN RAISE THE NUMBERS AND PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN IT. WE CAN GET PEOPLE TO CALL, WE
CAN DO ALL THAT STUFF BUT WE WANT TO HAVE A PARTNER ON THE OTHER SIDE. WE DON'T WANT TO JUST TO BE, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZING ALL THIS EFFORT TO REQUIRE WE WANT TO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR
WILL ENGAGE BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THE WAY THE SYSTEM IS SET UP WITH THE HOME RULE PETITION, YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT THE MAYOR. RIGHT. AND SO YOU KNOW, HER POSITION
HAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT FROM TIME TO TIME. RIGHT. LIKE SO WE DID A SURVEY I THINK IT WAS IN 2019 AND SHE SAID A MAJORITY ELECTED HYBRID SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND THAT WAS THE MOST
DETAIL WE GOT OUT OF HER ON THAT QUESTIONNAIRE THAT WE DID THAT YEAR. BUT IT'S SORT OF GONE FROM THAT TO NOW IS NOT THE TIME IN PERPETUITY RIGHT? LIKE WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET THE MAYOR TO ENGAGE IN THIS
CONVERSATION. SO WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND I KNOW ALL THE GROUPS THAT WERE ENGAGED IN THE THE BALLOT QUESTION COMMITTEE ARE STILL INTERESTED IN PURSUING IT AND I THINK THE YOU
KNOW, THE PEOPLE OF BOSTON CERTAINLY ANY TIME IT COMES UP PEOPLE WANT AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE. WE SEE THAT WE ARE THE ONLY ONES WE SEE THAT OTHER CITIES LIKE CHICAGO AND IN BALTIMORE DIFFERENT PLACES THAT HAVE HAD
THIS MAYORAL CONTROL ARE ALL DROPPING IT. YOU KNOW, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN GOVERNANCE MAGAZINE I THINK IT WAS THE YEAR BEFORE LAST AND IT WAS AN ARTICLE ABOUT WHY BIG CITIES HAVE THROWN AWAY THE
IDEA OF MAYORAL CONTROL AND IT WAS A PICTURE OF THE MAYOR YOU KNOW, OUR MAYOR THERE AT THE TOP OF THE ARTICLE BECAUSE WE ARE PRETTY MUCH IT WE WERE THOSE WERE THE STAUNCHEST HOLDOUT AGAINST RETURNING THE
RIGHT TO VOTE TO THE THE PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD IT TAKEN AWAY IN TERMS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE GOVERNANCE IN THE UNITED STATES. WE HAD A VOTE THERE WAS NO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER IT WASN'T JUST THAT 79% OF THE PEOPLE VOTED FOR IT.
THERE WAS NOBODY CAME TESTIFY AGAINST IT. THE BOSTON MUNICIPAL RESEARCH BUREAU THEY SENT THEIR PRESIDENT AND SHE WAS LIKE WE'RE NOT NECESSARY AGAINST IT. THAT WAS YOU KNOW, LIKE THAT
WAS THIS THE STAUNCHEST OPPOSITION IN ANY OF THOSE HEARINGS? SO YOU KNOW, THE I THINK THE MAIN PROBLEM THAT WE SAW IS THE CITY COUNCIL IS NOT GOING TO
VOTE ON IT. THAT'S THAT. SO IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO VOTE ON IT AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DISCUSS IT, IT ALMOST BECOMES MOOT AT THAT POINT.
MR CHAIR, I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER CARDS SO I WOULD GO BACK TO COUNCILMAN HAND. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS
? THANK YOU. AND I KNOW WE HAVE ONE MORE PERSON THAT'S GOING TO BE JOINING US IN 2 MINUTES BUT I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE FOR THE OFFICIAL RECORD HERE THAT IF
ANYONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT ME, I HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE LEADING VOICES ON CHANGING ALL THINGS THAT DEAL WITH VOTER ENGAGEMENT AND PROCESSES THAT REALLY
UPLIFTS THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I WANT TO NOTE THAT OUR OFFICE IS WORKING DILIGENTLY TO GET AN OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
THAT HAS BEEN WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT FOR TWO YEARS AND WE ARE HOPING THAT WE CAN GET THAT THROUGH THE PROCESS IN A WHOLE NEW PETITION OUR OFFICE
HAS ALSO BEEN WORKING ON OUR TRANS LGBTQ COMMISSION WITH COALITION MEMBERS AND THAT SITUATION HAS ALSO HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR MONTHS AND WE'RE
STILL HOPING AND PRAYING THAT WE CAN GET IT TO THE FINISH LINE AS THE STEWARDS OF THE PEOPLE AND PROCESSES AND WE'RE STILL HOPING AND PRAYING WE CAN
GET THAT TO THE FINISH LINE. AND IN REGARDS TO THE ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE I WORKED ALONGSIDE COUNCILOR ARROYO AND THE COALITION ON THE BALLOT INITIATIVE AND ALSO THE HOME RULE PETITION.
AND TO LISA'S POINT WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A THE SECOND GO ROUND THAT IT ACTUALLY MAKES IT TO THE FINISH LINE AND TO THE STATE HOUSE
WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL DIE. AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF POLITICS HAPPENING HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON AS IT RELATES TO ANYTHING THAT DEALS WITH CHANGE AND WE'RE ALL WORKING THE BEST THAT WE CAN
ALONGSIDE OUR COALITION PARTNERS TO MOVE STRUCTURAL CHANGE BUT CHANGE IS DIFFICULT SO TO MY COLLEAGUES WHO KNOW ON
THE COUNCIL THAT WE BEEN A LEADING VOICE ON ALL THINGS THAT DISMANTLE THE OPPRESSIVE ENVIRONMENTS THAT WE HAPPEN TO BE OPERATING IN. SO I WANT TO NOTE THAT WE DID
REFILE AND YOU KNOW A LOT OF THESE THINGS ARE IN THE PROCESS AND SO MY COMMITMENT TO THOSE THAT ARE PAYING ATTENTION IS THAT I'M WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE
COALITION AND TAKING MY MARCHING ORDERS FROM THOSE THAT I SERVE. SO I AM, YOU KNOW, WAITING FOR THE GREEN LIGHT TO GO IN AND ALL OUT ON THE ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT TIME CAPACITY AND THE THE DYNAMICS THAT EXIST OUTSIDE OF THIS CHAMBER. RIGHT. BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO THIS OUTSIDE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE
ARE WORKING IN COLLABORATION AND SO CULTURE THING I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOUR URGENCY AROUND THIS AND I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO THE COALITION THAT IS NOW WORKING ON REALLY RETHINKING KIND OF WHAT IS
GOING TO BE THE PATHWAY TOWARDS VICTORY. IT MIGHT BE ON THE BALLOT. I MEAN IT MAY OVERRIDE THE WHOLE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL PROCESS BECAUSE MAYBE THERE IS NO WILL FROM THE THE
ARBOR PARTY OR THE MAYOR, BUT THE COALITION MAY JUST TAKE IT DIRECTLY TO THE BALLOT IN 2020. SO IT'S LIKE ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE STILL, YOU KNOW, UP
FOR DISCUSSION AND SO WE ARE DEFERRING TO THOSE THAT WE SERVE TO GIVE US THE MARCHING ORDERS. SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. THERE'S NO DESIRE ON MY END TO
BLOCK ANYTHING OR PREVENT ANYTHING FROM HAPPENING IF IF ANYTHING I'VE BEEN ONE OF THE MOST AGGRESSIVE COUNCILORS WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING TO MOVE
THINGS IN THE CITY. SO LISA, YOU WANT TO ADD? YEAH, I'M GOING TO I AND I APPRECIATE THAT. I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT IT. I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO HEAD OUT
I AM IN A WHEELCHAIR BUT JUST FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND MY FAMILY WERE CLIMBING THE STEPS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL GREEK THEATER HERE IN TERMINA AND I'M GOING TO HEAD OUT BECAUSE IT'S TIME TO GO TIME FOR THE CARRIER
TO GO OUT BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS COMING UP AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS. I THINK YOU KNOW IT CAN DEFINITELY BE IMPROVED. THANKS GUYS.
WE NEED TO HAVE A GOOD DAY. I LIKE NEXT STEPS SO COUNCILOR FLYNN OR DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR GREG? IF NOT, WE WILL GO TO PUBLIC
TESTIMONY. YES, I BELIEVE WE HAVE ROSS WILSON ON DECK FOR 1145 CHAIR I
DO NOT ROSS HERE SO WHAT I WILL DO IS THAT OH YES I SEE I JUST HANDED HIM MR CHAIR HE'S IN THE ROOM NOW. THANK YOU.
JANE RUSSELL WILSON, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. IF YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOU CAN GO FORWARD WITH YOUR REMARKS, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
THE NEXT COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, WE CAN. WELL, THANKS FOR FOR INVITING ME TO TESTIFY APOLOGIZE. I MISSED THE FIRST PART OF THE MEETING.
I HAD SOME OTHER MEETINGS SO I'LL LET ME DO A QUICK INTRODUCTION AND THEN TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY INTEREST IN THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE IF IF THAT'S HELPFUL.
SO MY NAME IS ROSS WILSON AND I CURRENTLY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SHAW FAMILY FOUNDATION IN BOSTON AND BEEN IN THIS ROLE FOR ABOUT SEVEN YEARS NOW. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY I'M A
RESIDENT OF CHARLESTOWN. I'M A FATHER OF THREE BOYS. MY OLDEST IS A SENIOR NOW AT BOSTON LATIN SCHOOL SO I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR FOR QUITE A NUMBER OF YEARS WITH MY THREE
WITH MY THREE KIDS. I ALSO USED TO WORK FOR THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I WAS A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER AT THE JACKSON MAN, A PRINCIPAL AT THE HAILEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THEN I WORKED IN CENTRAL
OFFICE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AS HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES CHIEF OF STAFF AND DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT AND I'VE BEEN REALLY INTERESTED IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
WE CONTINUE AS I'VE FOUND AS PART OF MY JOB WE HAVE A PODCAST WHICH I HOPE I CAN ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO WHICH IS CALLED LAST NIGHT AT SCHOOL COMMITTEE WHERE WE
COVER EVERY SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING ON THURSDAY MORNINGS AND DO A RECAP OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS BECAUSE WE BELIEVE EVERYONE DESERVES THE RIGHT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THESE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS
WHICH HAPPEN SOMETIMES HAPPEN LATE AT NIGHT AND THEN FOR THE PAST TWO CYCLES I'VE APPLIED TO BECOME A SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER AND I ACTUALLY I'VE BEEN QUITE PLEASED WITH THAT
PROCESS. I NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD THAT PROCESS EVEN WHEN I WAS INSIDE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW ONE BECOMES A SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER BUT I'VE GONE THROUGH NOW TO CYCLES
OF GOING THROUGH THE NOMINATING PANEL PROCESS AND AND I YOU KNOW, I THINK I WISH MORE PEOPLE DO IT. I THINK IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING PROCESS. I YOU KNOW SO WHAT I THINK IS
INTERESTING PROCESS I THINK IT'S REALLY THAT PEOPLE CAN WATCH THIS PROCESS HAPPEN VIA ZOOM IF THEY TUNE IN AND I APPRECIATE THE NOMINATING PANEL ARE THE NOMINATED PANEL MEMBERS
THEIR TIME AND COMMITMENT TO RECOMMENDING FINALISTS TO THE MAYOR? I ALSO BELIEVE THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE THIS PROCESS MUCH BETTER IF WE REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE
TO APPLY FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE. SO FIRST AND FOREMOST I THINK THERE SHOULD BE MORE TRANSPARENCY. WE SHOULD TAPE THESE MEETINGS AND MAKE THEM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE TO WATCH
AFTER THE MEETING SO YOU CAN'T FIND THESE TRANSCRIPTS FROM THESE MEETINGS. YOU CAN'T GO BACK AND FIND THE RECORD. SO THESE MEETINGS TYPICALLY HAPPEN AND THEN THEY GO AWAY AND NOBODY CAN SEE THEM. SO I APPRECIATE PEOPLE LIKE
GREG MAYNARD AT BPI COVERING THE MEETINGS AND POSTING DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THEM BECAUSE WE NEED TO MAKE THESE THINGS MORE PUBLIC AND MORE TRANSPARENT. SECONDLY, I THINK THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE CITY
OF BOSTON CAN ADVERTISE FOR THESE POSITIONS MUCH MORE WIDELY. IT LITERALLY TAKES GOING ONTO THE WEBSITE MULTIPLE CLICKS TO FIND THAT THERE IS A POSITION AND YOU CAN APPLY WE SHOULD
MAKE ROBOCALLS IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR LITERALLY EVERYTHING YOU KNOW I GET CALLS ALL THE TIME ABOUT EVERY SINGLE THING IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS THERE SHOULD BE A ROBOCALL ASKING PEOPLE TO APPLY TO
SCHOOL. THERE'S NO REASON WE SHOULDN'T ADVERTISE THESE THINGS MUCH MORE BROADLY AND WIDELY. ALSO THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME
SORT OF RUBRIC TO WHAT IT IS TO HAVE WHAT IS THE NOMINATING PANEL LOOKING FOR? WHAT ARE THEY JUDGING FOR EVEN THE NOMINATING PANEL THEMSELVES SAY TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE WHAT ARE WE READING ON? YOU KNOW, SO THEY ALL COME UP
WITH NUMERICAL VALUES. THEY SAY YES OR NO TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN THE PROCESS BUT THERE IS NO NORMING, THERE IS NO RUBRIC, THERE IS NO STANDARD FOR WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR IN A SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER.
SO I THINK THERE SHOULD BE WE SHOULD BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT AND THAT WOULD I THINK ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO BE PART OF THIS PROCESS. LOOK, I'M TESTIFYING TODAY NOT
IN IN IN IN IN ANY WAY SAYING WE SHOULD HAVE AN ELECTED OR APPOINTED OR WHATEVER OR HYBRID SCHOOL COMMITTEE. BUT AS A PERSON WHO'S BEEN IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR A
NUMBER OF YEARS WHO I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHAT I'M TESTIFYING IS FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY CLEARNESS AROUND HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE IF WE HAVE A FULLY APPOINTED
SCHOOL COMMITTEE, LET'S MAKE THAT THE MOST TRANSPARENT PROCESS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN ENCOURAGE MORE ENGAGEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY IN THIS PROCESS.
THAT'S MY TESTIMONY. THANK YOU ROSS. REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TESTIMONY AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO ON BEHALF OF OUR OF OUR STUDENTS.
WE ALSO HAVE SHARED AN INTERN WITH US HERE TODAY. IF YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD AND GIVE SOME REMARKS. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.
I APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY. I AM THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BLACK TEACHERS MATTER. I'VE BEEN AN EDUCATOR FOR OVER 45 YEARS AND IN COMMUNITY
ACTIVISTS AND I'M ALSO A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN EDUCATION NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY. THAT BEING SAID, I APPLIED FOR THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE FIVE TIMES AND NEED THREE
ADMINISTRATIONS AND I WILL SAY FOR THE RECORD THAT THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE SHOULD BE ELECTED NOT APPOINTED. THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS SKEWED AND IT'S THE SYSTEM IT IS NOT NECESSARILY DEPENDENT ON WHO'S
MAYOR. WE IF WE TRUST PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO ELECT THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCILORS AND AT-LARGE CITY COUNCILORS, WE SHOULD TRUST THEM TO BE ABLE TO ELECT OUR
OWN SCHOOL COMMITTEE. BOSTON IS THE ONLY MUNICIPALITY IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THAT DOES NOT ELECT ITS SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND WHEN THE MAYOR WAS PRESENTED
WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE FIRST TO HAVE A HYBRID AND HER FIRST YEAR OF BEING ELECTED A HYBRID SCHOOL COMMITTEE PARTLY APPOINTED PARTLY ELECTED AT THAT PARTICULAR POINT THERE WAS IN TIME THERE WAS NO SUCCESSFUL
EXAMPLE OF A HYBRID SCHOOL COMMITTEE IN ALL OF THE UNITED STATES AT THE SIZE OF THE BOSTON BOSTON SCHOOL DEPARTMENT .
SO THAT BEING SAID NOW THE MAYOR HAS DOUBLED DOWN AND SAID SHE IT TO BE ALL APPOINTED. I MEAN INSTEAD THIS IS A DEMOCRACY. I AM OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WAS
ALL APPOINT WHO ALL ELECTED AND AT THE POINT WHERE PEOPLE OF COLOR HAD A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF DECISION MAKING POWER THAT WAS WHEN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WAS DEEMED TO BE ALL
APPOINTED AND THAT PARTICULAR MAYOR THEY DID THAT EVEN SAID IT SHOULD BE REVIEWED BECAUSE HE HAD REGRETS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT SHOULD REALLY HAPPEN. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED. THE NOMINATING PROCESS WAS
SKEWED AGAINST ME BECAUSE IT'S A POLITICAL APPOINTMENT AND WHEN YOU'RE APPOINTED BY SOMEBODY AND PUT IN POWER YOU CAN BE TAKEN OUT BY THE PERSON IN POWER. I SAID I WAS THERE IN THE END THEY NEED THREE DIFFERENT
ADMINISTRATIONS AND THEY ALL HAD THEIR REASONS WHY THEY WANTED TO CONTROL THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. IT'S STILL THE SAME THING I WAS TOLD AT ONE PARTICULAR TIME I WOULD EVEN THOUGH I CAME IN AS
A FINALIST AT LEAST THREE OF THOSE FIVE TIMES THAT BECAUSE OF A POSTING THAT SOMEONE SAW IN MY SOCIAL MEDIA THAT'S APPOINTED AN ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE, I WAS BEING DENIED THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVEN
BEING INTERVIEWED AND THAT WAS AFTER BEING IN THE TOP TWO OF THE FINALISTS IN THE NOMINATING PANEL FROM THE NOMINATING PANEL THE NOMINATING PANEL APPOINTED THE SCHOOL
COMMITTEE IS APPOINTED IF WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A DEMOCRACY AND WE'RE GOING TO LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE WHO IS TO DECIDE WHO IS GOING TO RUN THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT WHICH IS THE LARGEST PORTION OF THE BUDGET, THEN IT
NEEDS TO BE NOT A NOMINATING PANEL WHERE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHEN THE THE NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN, WHEN THE POSITIONS ARE OPEN, WHO'S ELIGIBLE FOR IT. THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY AND WE
NEED TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. SO I'M GOING THE RECORD I KNOW IT MAY BE CONTROVERSIAL AND MAYBE I'M HIT A LITTLE BIT HARD BUT I'M TELLING YOU THIS IS MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS AN EDUCATOR AND SOMEONE WHO IS AN
INSIDER AND ACTUALLY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON IS TESTIFIED A LOT AND BEEN IN THE FOREFRONT AS AN EDUCATOR AS A FORMER STUDENT, AS A STUDENT AND AS A PROFESSOR.
WE NEED TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM UP AND THE NOMINATING PANEL AND ALL OF THAT NEEDS TO BE REVAMPED IF WE'RE REALLY GOING TO MAKE THIS FAIR AND THE BEST WAY TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO HAVE A FULLY ELECTED SCHOOL COMMITTEE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, SHARON. APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND PROVIDED THE TESTIMONY. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR PANELISTS? YES. I'M CURIOUS SINCE I KNOW WE
HAVE ONE PERSON WAITING FOR A PUBLIC TESTIMONY, THEY MAY HAVE A HARD STOP. SO I JUST WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT. I'M ONLY GOING TO ASK ONE QUESTION BECAUSE OF THAT. I'M JUST CURIOUS. AND ALSO THAT INDIVIDUAL DID
NOT GET SELECTED EITHER. AND SO I ALSO APPLIED ROSS AND SHARON AND AND I DON'T KNOW IF ROSS IS STILL HERE WITH US BUT
I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING THAT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CRITERIA OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO BE APPOINTED, YOU WOULD
THINK THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME AND YOU AND OTHERS WHO HAVE DEEP LIVED EXPERIENCE AND OR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND OR
A COMBINATION OF BOTH ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED AND I THINK THAT SOMETIMES WE USE THIS NOMINATING PANEL AS A WAY TO CENSOR AND AS A WAY TO KEEP. AND I'M CURIOUS IN YOUR
EXPERIENCE WHEN WERE NOT NOMINATED ASIDE FROM BECAUSE OF THE POST BECAUSE YOU TRIED FIVE TIMES? SHARON I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT WAS THE RISK WHAT WHAT EXCUSE DID YOU GET?
WAS THERE ANY OTHER WRITTEN COMMUNICATION OR ANY TRANSPARENCY AROUND WHY NOT? YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY.
I MEAN SO YOU GET THESE LITTLE NICE LITTLE LETTERS AND BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO GET SUED I MEAN I'M A BLACK WOMAN, I AM AN
EDUCATOR, I'M A BOSTONIAN, I'M A FORMER BPA STUDENT. I'VE GOT TWO AND A HALF MASTER'S DEGREES RIGHT NOW AT THE TIME WHEN I APPLIED I WAS NOT A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE FOR
EDUCATION BUT I AM NOW. AND SO YOU TOLD THE BASIC, YOU KNOW, CRITERION FOR HOW YOU GET SELECTED. YOU DON'T NECESSARILY YOU KNOW, THE THE TERMS LIKE THE TENURE YOU KNOW, IF IT'S FOR TWO
YEARS. BUT AND I THINK ONE OF THE TIMES I APPLIED IT WAS ACTUALLY FILLING A SPOT FOR THE REMAINDER OF SOMEONE'S TERM. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THAT IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN SELECTED AND SO
YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW AND AT ONE PARTICULAR TIME THAT I APPLIED THERE WERE TWO LATINAS THAT WAS SELECTED. I WAS LIKE OKAY, SO COULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN ONE OF THOSE OPEN SPOTS THERE TWO SPOTS I THINK AT THE SAME TIME. AND THEN YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO'VE
BEEN IN THE SYSTEM FOR A WHILE REAPPOINTED AND YOU'RE LIKE WHAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT? SO YOU KNOW YOU WERE TOLD THAT YOU WEREN'T SELECTED. THERE WERE MANY YOU KNOW THE
GENERIC THERE ARE MANY CANDIDATES WHO ARE SO QUALIFIED AND SO THIS IS WHO WE SELECTED AND IT WAS THREE DIFFERENT MAYORS AND SO IT'S LIKE OKAY, SO AND THEN YOU WATCH WHAT HAPPENS IN TERMS OF WHO VOTES
FOR WHAT AND THEN THAT TO ME SENDS A SIGNAL AND I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE WRITTEN RECEIPTS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT THEY SAY POLITICALLY OF WE DIDN'T SELECT YOU BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT
YOU WOULDN'T RUBBER STAMP WHATEVER THE MAYOR'S AGENDA WAS BUT YOU GET THE MESSAGE IT'S LIKE YOU'RE NOT SELECTED AND IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARILY.
AND THEN YOU LOOK AT WHO GETS SELECTED AND WHAT POSITION THEY FILL AND THEN ALL THE PEOPLE ARE GOOD PEOPLE. I MEAN THEY'RE QUALIFIED PEOPLE BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT. THE PROCESS ITSELF IS FLAWED SO
. SO NO, BUT THEN YOU HEAR ABOUT WHY BECAUSE BOSTON IS A BIG TOWN. IT'S A SMALL CITY. YOU FIND OUT WHY THAT'S TRUE. THAT'S DEFINITELY TRUE.
AND AND I THINK THAT THAT IS AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT IT'S HISTORICAL. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION BEEN THROUGH THIS PROCESS THROUGH THREE ADMINISTRATIONS AND SO IT
DEMONSTRATES THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL. IT'S ABOUT THE PROCESS. AND I THINK THAT WHAT THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON IS THAT WE
TEND TO PICK AND CHOOSE AND IF THERE'S NO REAL CRITERIA OR REQUIRE COMMENTS OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS OR SOMETHING THAT IS CONSISTENT RIGHT THEN PEOPLE
THERE ARE GOING TO BE PEOPLE WHO ARE WHO ARE WELL QUALIFIED WHO ARE NEVER GOING TO GET PICKED BECAUSE THERE ARE THESE LOOPHOLES THAT ALLOW YOU TO PASS PEOPLE UP RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT THAT IS THE
PROBLEM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIX IN THIS MOMENT. AND SO SO WITH THAT YOU KNOW WE HAVE ONE MORE PERSON FOR A PUBLIC TESTIMONY. I WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT.
SO SHARON AND ROSS AND AND GREG AND LISA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TUNING IN AND SPEAKING UP AND SPEAKING OUT. I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT THESE MOMENTS ARE ASKING US ALL TO DO
AND YOU KNOW, I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONVERSATION. SO GREG, WE'RE SHARING THAT AND IF YOU HAVE ANY LAST MINUTE
COMMENTS THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE BEFORE I TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CHAIR BUT JUST IN MY TIME WITH YOU ALL JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT I DIDN'T ASK WHERE I SHOULD HAVE PLEASE I JUST WANT TO SAY
BRIEFLY AND SHE DIDN'T SHE'S NOT PAYING ME TO DO THIS OR ANYTHING BUT I HAVE KNOWN JULIE HERE ON AS WHEN I WAS A TEACHER AND SHE WAS JUST SHE'S A PARENT BEFORE. SHE WAS ELECTED OFFICIAL AND I
WATCHED HER FIERCELY FIGHT FOR THIS AND SO I APPRECIATE THIS FORMAT AND HER BEING CONSISTENT IN HER ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS AND FOR STUDENTS AND FOR TEACHERS AND FOR TEACHERS OF COLOR BECAUSE WE THE BOSTON PUBLIC
SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS NEVER MET THE THRESHOLD THAT WAS SET BY JUDGE GARRITY OF 25% BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICAN TEACHERS THEY PLAY WITH THE NUMBERS BUT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN MET AND THAT IS IT'S NOT DISCUSSED NOW AND SO
THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TOO. SO I APPRECIATE THIS FORMAT AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY WHO'S ON THIS PANEL ACTUALLY NOT LETTING THIS DROP BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT REPRESENTATION MATTERS AND DATA SAYS THAT IF A
IF A STUDENT OF COLOR SEES A TEACHER BY THE THIRD GRADE, THEY'RE 40% MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNSELOR.
I APPRECIATE THE TIME AND HOPEFULLY HOPEFULLY THIS IS NOT THE END OF THIS CONVERSATION. ALL RIGHT. I THINK WE HEARD A LOT OF STUFF ON THIS LIKE I THINK IF YOU WATCH SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS THE IDEA THAT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS SPEND 15 TO 20 HOURS A
WEEK WORKING ON STUFF IS SURPRISING. SO IT WOULD BE YOU KNOW, BE VERY EXCITING TO FIND OUT WHAT WHAT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS DO FOR 15 TO 20 HOURS A WEEK BASED ON THE BASED ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS THAT
WE SEE. SO YOU KNOW, REALLY APPRECIATE YOU HAVING MEJIA AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT THIS. AWESOME.
WELL THANK YOU. BUT YOU GOT SO MANY THANK YOU TO OUR PANELISTS BOTH OUR ADMINISTRATIVE PARENT AND OUR COMMUNITY PANEL. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TAKING THE TIME TO COME AND SPEAK
ABOUT THIS TOPIC, THIS ONE THAT I THINK SHOULD HAVE MORE CONVERSATION ON THE COUNCIL. I APPRECIATE THE LEAD SPONSOR COUNCIL THE BEING ABLE TO BRING
THIS UP AND MEET THEM THIS WAY WE WILL NOW I WILL DISMISS THIS PANEL. WE WILL NOW MOVE FORWARD WITH PUBLIC TESTIMONY FOR THOSE TESTIFYING ON ZOOM PLEASE ACCEPT THE MESSAGE AS NEED TO
BE PROMOTED TO PANELISTS WHEN IT APPEARS WHEN YOUR NAME IS PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME IS CALLED PLEASE SAY YOUR NAME NEIGHBORHOOD AND ORGANIZATION
AFFILIATION PLEASE AND PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO 2 MINUTES WITH US HERE ON ZOOM. FIRST UP WE HAVE SARA BUCHMAN. YEAH, WELL I WANTED TO SAY
SORRY CHERYL AFTERSHOW HAS TO GO STEVE BECAUSE THEY WERE WAITING BUT AFTER CHERYL THEN WE'LL GO TO SLEEP. PLEASE. WE HAVE CHERYL BACHMANN AND THEN WE'LL HAVE STEVEN WILL
THEN A REAL PRIVATE AND MARJORIE SKILLMAN THOSE ARE THE FOUR INDIVIDUALS AND WE HAVE SIGNED THEM. THANK YOU SHOW HI I MY NAME IS CHERYL BACHMANN.
I'M A PROUD PARENT OF A NEW STUDENT WHO IS GOING TO BE STARTING AT THE ROSE BATTS IN ACADEMY. I'M THE LEAD FOR THE DENVER AND THIS IS MY LAST YEAR AS A PEACE ACTIVIST AND I'M A LONG LIFE RESIDENT OF SOUTH BOSTON.
I'M HERE NOT JUST AS A PARENT OR AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER BUT AS SOMEONE WHO REFUSES TO STAY SILENT WHEN THE VOICES OF FAMILIES LIKE MINE OFTEN GO IGNORED AS I AS YOU PREPARE TO
APPOINT THE NEXT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER OF, I URGE YOU TO ASK ONE CRITICAL QUESTION WHO HAS THE LIVED EXPERIENCE, THE INTEGRITY, THE MORAL
COURAGE TO TRULY REPRESENT ALL OF BOSTON'S CHILDREN ESPECIALLY THE ONES TOO OFTEN LEFT BEHIND ? BOSTON IS AT A DEFINING MOMENT. OUR SCHOOLS ARE FILLED WITH
BRILLIANT, RESILIENT AND CAPABLE STUDENTS MANY OF WHOM ARE BLACK, BROWN, IMMIGRANT, LOW SPECIAL NEEDS AND MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
BUT FOR FAR TOO LONG THESE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN TREATED AS NUMBERS IN A SYSTEM NOT AS THE FUTURE OF THIS CITY. WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER LEADER WHO SIMPLY CHECKS CHECKS BOXES
ON PAPER. WE NEED SOMEONE WHO REFLECTS THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SIT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE AND WORRY ABOUT WHY THE BUS IS LATE,
WHETHER AN IEP WILL BE HONORED IF THEIR CHILD WILL BE SAFE IN SCHOOL, WHETHER THE WILL SPEAK TO THEIR CHILD'S CULTURE OR BRILLIANCE AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A SCHOOL LIKE THE DENVER
IS CLOSED WITH BARELY ANY HONEST CONVERSATION BEFOREHAND? THE THE DEVRA SET TO CLOSE AT THE END OF THE 2526 SCHOOL YEAR. ONLY ONE COMMITTEE MEMBER
VISITED THE SCHOOL BEFORE THE DECISION WAS MADE. THAT IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. IF A SCHOOL IS FACING CLOSURE THE COMMITTEE MUST BE PROACTIVE.
IT MUST SHOW UP, IT MUST LISTEN . HOW CAN WE CLAIM TO SERVE COMMUNITIES? WE DON'T EVEN SHOW UP FOR THIS APPOINTMENT IS NOT A FORMALITY. IT'S A DECISION WITH REAL
CONSEQUENCES FOR FAMILIES. WE NEED SOMEONE WHO IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE COMMUNITY NOT JUST BY PROFESSION BUT BY LIVED EXPERIENCE. IT'S A FEARLESS ADVOCATE
WILLING TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER EVEN WHEN IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE LIVES AND BREATHES EQUITY NOT AS A SLOGAN BUT AS A NON-NEGOTIABLE LISTENS AND REALLY LISTENS TO THE FAMILIES,
EDUCATORS, STUDENTS AND STAFF AND ACTS WITH TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND COURAGE. BECAUSE THIS SEAT IS NOT SYMBOLIC IT HOLDS POWER AND WE NEED SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO
DO THAT TO UPLIFT, NOT OVERLOOK OUR CHILDREN. WE DON'T NEED PERFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP. WE NEED PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP. WE NEED SOMEONE WHO SEES BOSTON'S CHILDREN NOT AS TEST SCORES OR BUDGET LINES BUT AS A
WHOLE HUMAN BEING WITH DREAMS, DIGNITY AND LIMITLESS POWER. SO I URGE YOU DON'T JUST FILL A SEAT TO CHOOSE A LEADER. CHOOSE SOMEONE WHO WILL STAND UP FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR EDUCATORS AND FOR OUR FUTURES
WHEREVER FOR EVERY CHILD IN BOSTON IS SEEN, VALUED AND GIVEN THE CHANCE TO THRIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE AND THANK YOU FOR THE ONGOING SUPPORT FROM OTHERS AND THE BEGINNING OF A BETTER COMMUNITY SO THANK YOU. WE WILL SEE. WE HAVE STEVEN WITH US. I'M SITTING HERE YOU CAN USE
INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD AND TO TESTIFY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. IT'S DEFINITELY HONOR TO BE
HERE WITH THE CITY COUNCIL AND ONCE AGAIN SHOUT OUT TO JULIA HERE FOR THE WORK SHE'S DONE AND EVEN GIVEN ME A VOICE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS. MINE IS PRETTY SIMPLE. IT'LL BE VERY QUICK.
MY NAME IS STEVEN WILSON. I'M THE FOUNDER OF BLACK MEN UNITED. I'M ALSO A CITY OF BOSTON RESIDENT. BORN AND RAISED IN THE CITY OF BOSTON AND I'M A BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADUATE OF HYDE
PARK HIGH IN 1994. I ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE TO WORK FOR THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR 23 YEARS AS A SCHOOL
POLICE OFFICER SACRIFICING MY LIFE MANY TIMES AS WELL AS MANY OF YOU KNOW WITH THE RECORD OF GETTING 15 FIREARMS. AND I REPEAT 15 LOADED
FIREARMS. PERSONALLY MYSELF OUT IN THE HALLWAYS OF BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL WITHOUT INCIDENT AND NUMBER ONE IN THING I'M
SPEAKING ABOUT IS THAT THIS THIS POLICY AND PROCEDURE TO GET US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE IS CLEARLY FLAWED. AND AS A BLACK MAN I WANT TO
SEE THIS PROCESS BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER FOR PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE ME AND THAT YOU KNOW, SAYING THAT BEEPS SAYS THEY HELP BUT CLEARLY DOES NOT.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS EVEN AFTER LISTEN FOR 2 HOURS THEY GAVE THE METRICS OF HOW THEY USE AND CHOOSE AND WITH ALL THESE PEOPLE BEFORE
ME THEY'RE EVEN MORE QUALIFIED THAN I AM NOT TO BE INTERVIEWED IS A TRUE TRAVESTY. YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT PUT THE WORK IN CONTINUOUSLY DO THE WORK AND NOT EVEN BEING
SELECTED FOR INTERVIEW. SO I THINK THE QUESTION SHOULD BE IS HOW CAN WE CHANGE THIS PROCESS, MAKE THIS PROCESS MORE OF A PROCESS THAT IS
TRANSPARENT FOR EVERYBODY AND MAKE THIS PROCESS ALSO AVAILABLE TO ALL OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF BOSTON. SO I LAYING THERE AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SPEAK AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL THE CITY GUESTS. THANK YOU, STEPHEN.
WE WILL. AND BEFORE WE DO, EVEN THOUGH I
I DON'T KNOW WHY MY VIDEO IS NOT WORKING, I'M SORRY. WE CAN HEAR YOU. YEAH, THAT WORKS. THAT'S ALL I NEED IS MY VOICE.
I'M SORRY. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TESTIFY TODAY. AND FIRST I WANT TO THANK LISA GREEN. GREG MAYNARD AND SHARON HINTON.
HINTON I'M SORRY BECAUSE I WAS REALLY AFRAID THAT THIS TOPIC THIS CONVERSATION OF THE
CITIZENS VOTING FOR US TO VOTE FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS WAS GOING TO BE OVERLOOKED BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THAT IS A TOPIC THAT SHOULD NOT BE PUSHED TO THE SIDE.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO STAY ON THE TABLE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO BE DISCUSSED. IF NOT I MEAN LISA GAVE A GREAT
RECOMMENDATION OF, YOU KNOW, AUDITING THE PROCESS THAT IS NOW IN PLACE. WE NEED TRANSPARENCY. SEE THE CITIZENS THAT HAVE BEEN
DENIED A VOTE ARE NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE PROCESS AND SEE THE CANDIDATES. IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL. THESE ARE OUR CHILDREN'S LIKE
EDUCATIONS THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN THEIR HANDS AND FOR US TO NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE PROCESS OR BE ABLE TO VOTE. IT'S UNACCEPTABLE.
SO THANK YOU TO ED FLYNN AND JULIA MEJIA BECAUSE I THINK FROM WHAT I'M HEARING YOU BOTH DO AGREE THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T VOTE
ON YOURSELVES OR AGREE TO VOTE ON YOURSELVES ABOUT HAVING THE CITIZENS VOTE ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS, I THINK FROM
WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT YOU DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IT SHOULD BE DEMOCRACY IN PLAY AND IT'S NOT
RIGHT NOW AND IT'S IT'S CRAZY THAT IN 2020 BY COMING TO 2026 THAT THIS STILL ISN'T SOMETHING THAT IS IS FOR US CITIZENS TO
DO I'M SORRY I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING WRITTEN NOW I AM JUST GOING ON THE FLY BY FROM WHAT I'M HEARING OF EVERYBODY BUT TO HAVE A MAYOR BE IN CHARGE OF IT
AND THEN WHAT THE FRUSTRATING PART IS I'LL BE HONEST IS THAT WHEN WE ALL DID VOTE AND I THINK LISA GREEN SAID THAT IT WAS LIKE 99% OF THE CITIZENS
WANTED THIS THAT IT WAS JUST AUTOMATICALLY VETOED. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF EVEN GETTING IT ON THE BALLOT AND HAVING OUR VOICES HEARD TO THEN
HAVE IT RIGHT OFF THE TABLE BY THE MAYOR AND NOW WE'RE HAVING A MAYORAL ELECTION COMING UP AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT
OTHER MAYOR WHO IS MIGHT BE VOTED INTO TO JUST LIKE LISA WAS SAYING I MEAN LISA GREEN GREG MAYNARD AND SHARON HINTON THOSE VOICES WERE SO
APPRECIATED TODAY, SO REFRESHING TO HEAR BECAUSE WE'RE NOT JUST TOSSING IN ROLLING THE BALL DOWN THE HILL AGAIN.
OH IT SAYS STOP TO VIDEO. OKAY. I'M SORRY I'M NOT GOING TO LOOK AT THE SCREEN BUT YES, THANK YOU FOR LETTING MY VOICE BE HEARD ON THIS BECAUSE TO ME IT
JUST FEELS LIKE WE'RE GAMBLING WITH A NEW MAYOR COMING IN. WE'RE GAMBLING ON WHO'S GOING TO BE ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. IT'S NOT RIGHT.
THE PARENTS AND THE CITIZENS TAXPAYERS DESERVE TO SEE THIS PROCESS BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS AND LET'S GET THE
VOTING BACK OUT THERE. THE VOTING FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. THANK YOU. AND DUE TO APPRECIATE YOU BEING
HERE AND PROVIDING YOUR TESTIMONY. NEXT UP WE HAVE MARJORIE
SKILLMAN IN. IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S OFF THE HILL. MR CHAIR, RIGHT NOW. WELL, I KNOW IT WAS A LONG
HEARING SO IF ANYONE WHO DID WANT A PUBLIC TESTIFYING STILL WANTS TO SEND US A NOTE, AN EMAIL THAT WILL BE MADE PART OF THE RECORD BUT I REALLY
APPRECIATE ALL OF OUR PANELISTS HERE TODAY REALLY PROVIDING SOME GREAT INFORMATION AND I THINK A LOT OF US GOT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THE CURRENT
PROCESS AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE IT SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE COUNCILWOMAN HERE FOR FILING THIS. I THINK YOU GOT YOUR HAND UP.
YES. SO I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU WERE GOING TO ALLOW ME TO DO CLOSING REMARKS BEFORE YOU ADJOURNED. I AM THE OC SO I JUST WANT TO DO AN INTERVENTION JUST IN CASE WE WERE GOING TO ADJOURN
BECAUSE ONCE YOU ADJOURN I CAN'T SPEAK ANYMORE SO I WANT TO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ME LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE I WANT TO HAVE A VOICE AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I DON'T LOSE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TO SHARE MY FINAL THOUGHTS WHENEVER YOU HAVE THE PLAQUE OUT OF MY HAND. OKAY. THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR WORKING ALONGSIDE OUR OFFICE TO ACCOMMODATE THIS TIMELY
HEARING. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU ACCOMMODATING US DOING IT IN A IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. SO I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY
WHO PARTICIPATED IT OUR ADMIN, THE PANELISTS, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND MY COLLEAGUES ON THE COUNCIL AND WHAT WE HEARD TODAY REALLY ECHOES WHAT FAMILIES AND STUDENTS AND ADVOCATES HAVE
BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS THE PROCESS MUST BE MORE TRANSPARENT, MORE ACCOUNTABLE AND MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE IT SERVES THE WAY THAT WE APPOINT MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE DETERMINES WHO
GOVERNS PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BOSTON. YET THE CURRENT STRUCTURE CONCENTRATES SIGNIFICANT POWER IN ONE OFFICE WITH FEW CHECKS FOR THOSE IN ELECTED BY THE
PEOPLE. THIS IS NOT ABOUT ONE VACANCY, ONE APPOINTMENT OR EVEN ONE SINGLE ADMINISTRATION. IT IS ABOUT A SYSTEM THAT WAS CREATED OVER 30 YEARS AGO THAT NO LONGER REFLECTS THE BOSTON
OF TODAY AND WHEN WE SEE THE SAME INDIVIDUALS REAPPOINTED REPEATEDLY, WHEN LEADERSHIP DOESN'T REFLECT THE VOICES OF THE PARENTS, STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS AND WHEN THE PUBLIC HAS VERY LITTLE INFLUENCE OVER
WHO LEADS OUR SCHOOL, IT IS CLEAR THAT CHANGE IS NEEDED. THE NEXT STEP IS TO TAKE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED HERE AND USE IT TO STRENGTHEN THIS PROCESS.
I'LL BE FILING A RESOLUTION TO ENSURE THE COUNCIL HAS MORE OF DEFINED ROLE MOVING FORWARD SO THAT THIS WORK DOESN'T HAPPEN IN ISOLATION AND TO EVALUATE WHETHER THE CURRENT
STRUCTURE IS TRULY SERVING BOSTON STUDENTS AND FAMILIES AS IT SHOULD. I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR HONESTY AND INPUT. TODAY'S CONVERSATION SETS THE
STAGE FOR MEANINGFUL ACTION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS WORK WITH ALL OF YOU. AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW FOR THE RECORD THAT YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CRITICISM OF THE BOSTON CITY
COUNCIL IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT WE DO OR DON'T DO AND I THINK THAT THIS HEARING THAT WE HOSTED TODAY IS A REAL CLEAR DEMONSTRATION THAT WE ARE WILLING, READY AND ABLE TO HAVE
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS AND IN ORDER FOR US TO HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WE NEED TO WORK ALONGSIDE ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS.
AND SO HAVING COMMUNITY SHOW UP THE ADMINISTRATION AND MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES DEMONSTRATES THAT WHEN WE DECIDE TO DO THIS WE CAN DO IT AND THAT IS WHAT
WE ARE LOOKING FOR ALL OF US TO DO MORE OF IS TO CREATE SPACE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE ONLY IN COMMUNITY CAN WE REALLY FIX THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE BEEN
FIGHTING FOR DECADES. AND SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE STRUCTURAL CHANGES THAT LEAD TO MORE DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES AND THE STRUCTURAL CHANGES THAT LEAD TO
MORE COMMUNITY OVERSIGHT. AND SO AS YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO'S COMMITTED TO THIS WORK JUST TRUST THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE AND IF
YOU CAN'T GET YOUR VOICE HEARD IN ONE WAY, CALL US AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE AMPLIFY YOUR VOICES IN OTHER WAYS. SO THANK YOU TO THE CHAIR FOR ALLOWING US TO HOST THIS HEARING TODAY AND I LOOK
FORWARD TO THE NEXT STEPS AND TAKING WHAT WE HEARD AND FIXING IT SO THAT IT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU.
THINK IT COMES FROM HERE AGAIN FOR BEING THE LEAD SPONSOR AND BRINGING THIS CONVERSATION FORWARD? I THINK IT WAS A GREAT INFORMATIVE HEARING. I DEFINITELY LEARNED A LOT AND I KNOW THAT THE CITY
COUNCIL HAS VERY LITTLE OVERSIGHT ABOUT THIS PROCESS OF THIS PROCESS AND I THINK THAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD. SO AGAIN, I JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR PANELISTS BOTH
ON THE ADMIN SIDE AND THE COMMUNITY SIDE. I REALLY WANT THINK PEOPLE WHO CAME INTO THE TIME TO PUBLIC TESTIFYING ON A MONDAY MORNING SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT AND
THANK YOU TO I GOT A LEAD SPONSOR I THINK TWO CENTRAL STAFF FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO SO THIS HEARING ON DOCKET NUMBER 1442 IS ADJOURNED. THANK EVERYON