State education officials ultimately did not move to seize the reins of Boston Public Schools — as some feared and many spoke against — though they said they want “assurances” of a turnaround.
“There are just a myriad of problems here, many of them emanating from a bloated central office that is often incapable of the most basic functions,” state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said in Tuesday’s closely watched meeting.
Before the board launched into a full discussion, Riley headed off speculation that receivership was immediately imminent by saying he wouldn’t be seeking that or making further recommendations.
But he said a couple of times that he’s going to need “assurances” from Mayor Michelle Wu going forward and said he’s been in talks with her and will continue to do so.
“This report makes it clear that urgent action is required,” Riley said, referring to the investigation whose findings released to the public on Monday. But, “We want to be respectful of the mayor and give her a little time and space to see if she is willing to provide us with assurances that things are going to improve.”
The report that the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education — DESE, lead by its board that met Tuesday, BESE — released outlined many of the problems that long have been news in Boston: violence in the schools, severe transportation problems, issues with special education and English as a second language and major logistical problems stemming from the front office.
“I’m hopeful and optimistic that we can come to some kind of agreement on next steps forward,” Riley said as DESE staffers got ready to present to the board. “But I cannot stress enough how important it is to change the fundamental behaviors within the Boston Public Schools, especially at that central office.”
Wu testified earlier during the public-comment session of the meeting, opposing receivership and pushing to keep solutions in-house as she moves to install a new superintendent and invest heavily in school infrastructure in this first year of her mayorship.
“Receivership would be counterproductive in light of this transition and superintendent hiring process now underway and the strides we’re making in collaboration with the state,” Wu told the board and Riley. “If the commissioner does put forward a proposal for the board to designate and take over the Boston Public Schools, we will be requesting a hearing and due process under the board’s laws and regulations to continue to make our case.”
A parade of Boston pols testified at the hearing, largely in opposition to the idea of receivership, which would involve the state appointing a designee to take control of the district — a process that happened in 2011 in Lowell, Lawrence and Southborough, which the opponents all noted are still very poor-performing districts. Joining Wu in complete opposition were state Sens. Sonia Chang-Diaz and Lydia Edwards, state Rep. Liz Miranda, City Council President Ed Flynn and Councilors Gigi Coletta, Kendra Lara and Ruthzee Louijeune.
“Somebody else cannot fix our problems for us,” Louijeune said. “We need resources — not receivership.”
Flynn said of Wu, “We need to give this new team the opportunity to lead … We are able to provide strong leadership, to address the serious issues.”
City Councilor Michael Flaherty said he opposed full receivership but said the city and state should have a “strengthened and targeted partnership in key areas,” and City Councilor Erin Murphy didn’t take a position on receivership.
“Our superintendent and front office need to be held accountable,” Flaherty said.
There were visions of the particularly rancorous District 6 council race last year when Lara and former School Committee member Mary Tamer, the two candidates then, spoke back to back.
Tamer was the only person to testify in public comment who spoke in favor of true receivership.
“This is a crisis that requires intervention,” she said. “We have no plan or commitment to address the intense entrenched dysfunction of a central office that is unable to guarantee support of school leaders to guarantee student safety or even a daily bus ride to school.”
Lara — who later fired off a couple of Twitter missives about Flaherty’s comments and retweeted a dig at Tamer — slammed the receivership process as “racist.”
She said the supports of receivership are “a who’s who of conservative, white education privatizers who are coming to tell you that the best option for our schools is to give away the power.”
