This button displays the currently selected search type. Brenda Cassellius, David Esquith, Minnesota State University Mankato, PACER Center, School Safety Technical Assistance Center, US Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students, Walter Roberts / 0 Comments, The following column originally was published by ECM Publications Helping students be safer at school By Joe Nathan on February 10, 2016 at 2:03 pm Joe Nathan David Esquith shares one of the deepest concerns parents have: I worry about a call from the school that my kid got hurt. Its important that Esquith understands, [], Joe Nathan / Meg Woolhouse is GBH News' K-12 education reporter. I need to come hang out here more often, she says. Massachusetts could get another snowstorm Friday: What areas were the jackpot zones in this past storm? The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 14 BPCAE families in U.S. District Court in Boston on Friday. She's super smart. Photo by Matt Kalinowski. Covered spot news and enterprise stories, primarily in education, crime, human services . However, she was Carol Johnson's chief of staff, a former superintendent. The school committee approved her plan and Walsh agreed to the budget increase. Go Blue! School officials under Walsh tightly controlled the search process when Cassellius was hired and now the school committee says it wont divulge details of the separation agreement until next month. Alexi's professional experience encompasses print, television and radio at NY1, CNN en Espaol, 88.7FM WRHU and The Republican newspaper. Santoro: This is for both of you has her response to the pandemic been welcomed? At the same time, not everyone agrees with this renderinga soaring start to her superintendency derailed by a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe. BOSTON Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius on Tuesday addressed her planned resignation at the end of the academic year but did not give a reason for her departure.. But it shows that her top allies confidence in her was rapidly eroding. In a letter to "the BPS community" this morning, Mayor Wu said she, School Committee Chairwoman Jeri Robinson and Cassellius decided it was time for Cassellius to move on. She did not say why she is leaving. Parents Evaluation. First published on February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM. She served as co-anchor of the NBC news program Weekend Today from 2003 to 2007, and hosted the series Campbell Brown on CNN from 2008 to 2010. It began when the new superintendent came to town. 'Substantial snowfall' likely for parts of Massachusetts, as meteorologists track wintry mix, Howie Carr: The kinked grocery cart under Biden's America, Hire at Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office loses job after old racist, sexist tweets emerge, Patriots slammed in NFLPA survey about team facilities, player working conditions, Boston Police seize 37 dirt bikes and mopeds, recover fentanyl and guns, and arrest 4 after 'illegal drag racing' investigation, Student loan debt cancellation could be on thin ice as Supreme Court takes up case, Massachusetts lawmakers push for relief, Milton asks governor to stop demolition of broken MBTA station staircase, Black WWII vets denied G.I. Cassellius loves playing hockey and water skiing. Even with her facemask on, her expression made clear that the episode had been painful. Will new reporting & school support systems help students? Collaborations, School Choice (including dual credit, district & chartered public schools). 2017 columns / This button displays the currently selected search type. Do you mind if I run a tape recorder throughout the day? I ask her. Jun 2002 - Aug 20031 year 3 months. Kadzis: She would like the challenge and being head of school at Boston Latin School hasn't exactly been the bed of roses either. Listen Live: Classic and Contemporary Celtic, Listen Live: Cape, Coast and Islands NPR Station, Meg Woolhouse and Peter Kadzis on Morning Edition | Feb. 11, 2022, Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images, "Wu understands that the next super needs the trust of students, their parents and Boston teachers to really hit the ground running. Brenda Cassellius, ESSA, Hue Hguyen, Minnesota Department of Education / 0 Comments, originally published by www.hometownsource.com, March 22, 2017http://hometownsource.com/2017/03/22/joe-nathan-column-mde-offers-great-opportunities-to-help-create-education-plans/ MDE offers great opportunities to help develop education plans Give Minnesota Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius and her colleagues at the Minnesota Department of Education some credit. There'll be other people considered. Can Wu deliver? Kadzis: Henry, let me make an educated guess, and this is based on calling around yesterday and talking to people. But they found her methods strange. Whats more, there was no train running along the parks length. Or, as Casselliuss remaining supporters contend, is the problem that Bostona city of sharp-elbowed politics and deep skepticism of outsidershas refused to give her a fighting chance? And we want to see all the dirty details including money figures of the separation agreement Cassellius now must sign. On an unseasonably warm day in October 2019, Brenda Cassellius took the floor during a meeting at the Bolling Building, BPSs headquarters in Nubian Square. According to sources with direct knowledge of this effort, as well as contemporaneous records, the officials were seeking candidates to step into a new role: czar for BPS operations and pandemic response. However, out of public view, their support was wavering. Aware of the long history of distrust between BPS families and the district itself, Cassellius made a listening tour her first order of business. She also served as a principal in the states of Minnesota and Georgia. Henry Santoro hosts midday newscasts on GBH Radio and contributes to breaking news coverage and other hosting duties for GBHs daytime programming. Dr. Cassellius wrote she will transition out of her role as superintendent at the end of the 2021/2022 school year. The staffers, all veterans of public school administration in Boston and beyond, listened closely. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius: "Working alongside so many people - parents, educators, community and faith leaders, and philanthropic partners - all dedicated to helping our children achieve their dreams has given new meaning to my vision of all hands on deck. In meetings, she often broke down in tears and said she felt overwhelmed, according to three people who witnessed these episodes. Brenda ignored all of that, a former official says. Subordinates would scramble to respond to her proposals, pulling staff away from the business of running the school district. Peter Kadzis: No there have been problems that go way back, even as far back as Ray Flynn and Mayor Menino. It does not seem that there is any appetite to give people room to prove themselves., If Cassellius shares that sentiment, she was too diplomatic, in most of our conversations, to say so. It is not hard to imagine how a person with this gift, as well as Casselliuss taste for disruptive, visionary thinking, could be a good fit for superintendent of BPS, a district thats long had a broken relationship with the community. Near the end of our final interview, during which I detailed her critics charges, Cassellius cut me off. In some cases, that lack of attention paid off. Its a gray and frigid morning in Dorchester when Brenda Cassellius bounds toward me on the front lawn of Joseph Lee K8 School. Brenda Cassellius. In theory, this was a fine idea. Joe Nathan / If she appeared harried outside, coming off her meetings and calls, she is now something much closer to jubilant. Get all the latest from Sanditon on GBH Passport, How one Brookline studio helps artists with disabilities thrive. For some reason, I just felt like I was supposed to be here in Boston, she told me. What's the mood among parents and students over this announcement? Aaliyah Hodge, Birchview Elementary School, Brenda Cassellius, Catalina Anampa, Chris Williams, Daniel Sellers, DaVimci Academy of the ARts, Debra Lach, Denise Rodriguez, Denise Specht, Don Sinner, Ed Allies. When the new system was approved, many city leaders and school advocates hailed it as an outstanding vote that helps to address longstanding equity issues within the district. The BPS officials listening to this concept were stunned. Este botn muestra el tipo de bsqueda seleccionado. Dr. Brenda Cassellius has spent three decades as an educator devoted to helping all children succeed and thrive. Brenda Cassellius was born in Minnesota on September 9, 1967, and she will turn 54 in 2022. These nurses were the front line of fighting COVID. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. As CFO Nate Kuder completed a preview of the public budget presentation he would give in February, Cassellius proposed an idea. They were tracking COVID, and it was the parents that forced the closure of the school. Joe Nathan / 2018 Columns / Blue Ribbon Schools, Brenda Cassellius, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota . A mother who did not want to give her name to WBZ-TV said she was glad to see Cassellius leaving. (In an interview in December, Brophy said his work with BPS over the summer was less a rescue mission than an all-hands-on-deck situation.). Cassellius's name on the list is no surprise, since she has publicly shared her interest in the job. How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? 2018 Columns / The daughter of a young single mother who later became a young single mother herself, Cassellius grew up on food stamps in the projects of Minneapolis and participated in a Head Start program. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius taught a fourth grade class Wednesday as school districts across Massachusetts struggle to reopen due to COVID-19 staff shortages. what does seats not included mean on hopperthe hardy family acrobats 26th February 2023 / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by Let me cite an example: the surprise closing of the Curley school. Cassellius often describes her plans for reform as bold, which is also a good descriptor of Cassellius herself. Lack of uniform start and dismal dismissal times is the root of the problem, report says. Her husband Jason is a stay-at-home dad. The district is primarily Black and Latino, and parents have been promised much over the years and bore the brunt of the pandemic illnesses and job losses. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year in June, closing out a turbulent three-year tenure overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, in. Shes scattered, she struggles with talent management, and she doesnt provide a clear vision., Those traits were on full display once she arrived in Boston. BPS was a troubled district; that was no secret. Unveiled in early 2020, it laid out an audacious vision for the future, proposing that seven large high schools across the city simultaneously expand Advanced Placement and pre-AP courses, create technical and vocational education tracks, offer dual enrollment with local colleges, implement International Baccalaureate programs, and expand to include the seventh and eighth grades. Santoro: People will welcome the challenge. The parents of all Boston school children will appreciate the rare candor. This button displays the currently selected search type. College campuses increasingly offer time off for mental health, but some are skeptical. Blue Ribbon Schools, Brenda Cassellius, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Education Report Card / 0 Comments, The following column appeared in several APG of Eastern Minnesota newspapers during September, 2018 Will new reporting and support systems help students? Was it the superintendent herself, who, her critics argue, is too focused on visionary (and starry-eyed) future transformations to tend to the urgent problems of the present? She wears all blackpumps, dress, trench coatand seems a little distracted. She had been sitting in her car for the past 45 minutes, she explains, on a conference call with other big-city superintendents brainstorming ways to reopen schools in the middle of a pandemic. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. Cambridge's public school superintendent left last summer, and Boston is now in a similar position. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. The Boston Public School Committee is expected to sign a separation agreement Wednesday to give Cassellius at least $311,000, the Boston Herald reported. The promotions left colleagues, and sometimes the promoted employees themselves, baffled. They cant see how to get it done, and she hasnt shown them the steps along the way.. When Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius resigns at the end of the school year, she'll take with her hundreds of thousands of dollars from a separation agreement. Here are some entertainment opinions that you can follow: Guests manage to have a better time when entertainment involves actions they can be instantly linked in. A group of Boston parents has filed a lawsuit against the school committee and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius for what they call a wholly-irrational exam school admissions process, which had recently undergone changes due to the pandemic. (Later, in December, the teachers union would pass a vote of no confidence in the superintendent.). Its a very bold vision, she said, to get people to stretch their thinking. Of her big ideas, she said, The good ones stick and the bad ones fall away. Cassellius was a former commissioner of education for the state of Minnesota, where she oversaw schools there for nine years. Her hometown school board, which had watched her work closely for years, passed her over, citing the scarce progress on closing achievement gaps during her eight years as the top education official in the state. Parents of Boston special needs students especially struggled to get the district to listen to the fact that their kids needed to be in school early on in the pandemic and special needs kids were regressing during remote learning and their parents were heartbroken because they were watching it up close. The Emerald Necklacea narrow, marshy landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmstedcould not possibly be the site of a half-dozen or more high schools. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. In one light, Cassellius looks like the ideal person for that mission. A new wave of trouble began with another of Casselliuss bold ideas, her so-called High School Redesign Plan. I want you to run academics for Memphis middle schools, Johnson told Cassellius, assuring her she could handle the job overseeing 31 principals, many of them decades older than her. And now I know its for getting us through this pandemic. Her confidence, and her self-belief, paid off. As the students offered suggestionsfree menstrual products, cleaner bathrooms, improved ventilationCassellius had her executives take notes. The discovery of a gun at a South Boston school on Friday along with the vicious attack on a principal a few months ago showed the school system has a long way to go at protecting kids and teachers from violence. But when youre in charge of a school district for more than 50,000 students, being nice isnt enough to prevent us from being honest that shes not getting the job done.. Through the early summer, officials had grown concerned that Cassellius and her new leadership team might not be up to the task of managing the pandemic response. While the nation tunes in tonight to hear the GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. Cassellius took the top job in Boston eight months before the pandemic prompted a shift to remote learning that has since transmuted into staffing shortages, mask mandates and other complicated issues. Nr den er udvidet, indeholder den en liste over sgemuligheder, der vil ndre sgeinputs, s de matcher det nuvrende valg. It was a flight of fancy, one former principal says. She said her Emerald Necklace concept wasnt a plan but a prop or visioning tool. ", 'Heartbroken' by the tragedy of war, a Ukrainian opera singer performs in Belmont, Healey's proposed budget a boon to education and the environment, Senate confirms first Hispanic judge to Massachusetts federal court, The woman who introduced MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott lies in an unmarked grave in Boston, The civil rights memorials that expose America's ugly history and warn of repeating the past. Zip codes are allocated spots at the schools based on the number of students living in the area and family income. It was chaos, says a current BPS official. When you are disrupting the status quo with an anti-racist lens, as an African-American woman, you have to think about the motives of why people might be criticizing the ideas and the disruption that Im making so that underserved children can be served better and to create opportunity and access. She paralyzes the organization through her incoherence, another former official says. We will remember him forever. Unfortunately, Superintendent Cassellius did not meet it. Day? she responds, incredulous. We're seeing staff come back! Sensing the COVID-induced hesitation in my voice, the superintendent, who spends a lot of time in the field and knows every school building in the district inside and out, quickly offered another option. By the fall, when students returned to school, BPS officials were having trouble keeping track of who reported to whom and what responsibilities belonged to each department. BOSTON (WHDH) - Teachers and parents were left stunned on Tuesday when Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius mistakenly said certain students with high needs could return to. Join us. Sweet potato fries! Cassellius says, pointing at the calendar. Before working with . In Minnesota, he explained, he and Cassellius shared a frustration that an entrenched bureaucracy stood in the way of bold change. This letter is intended to provide information about AYP, Minnesota's waiver request and what an AYP designation may mean for the school their son or daughter attends. I had never met with a school superintendent, says Matthew Thompson, pastor of Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan, the biggest Protestant church in New England. Give us details on her relationship with former Mayor Marty Walsh and current Mayor Michelle Wu. Was it the pandemic, which stalled Casselliuss agenda and turned her job into mission impossible? Trying to keep the union appeased and keeping the schools open during the coronavirus pandemic had to be a difficult job for Cassellius. It was like out of a movie, the official says, like she was propping up the queen who you know is not up to the task., Briner said she did not recall this specific episode but that the comments sounded like something she would say to any colleague going through a difficult moment., In an interview in a BPS classroom, Cassellius dismissed her critics as disgruntled employees. Wu hinted earlier this week that she wants someone local for the job. (Second-hardest job in the country after president, another said.) From the start, Walshs administration had hoped that Cassellius would restore stability to Bostons struggling school system. Cassellius, who was pursuing several jobs at the time, said she felt especially drawn to the Hub. All of this landed in her lap precisely when the district was trying to figure out how to reopen schools in the fall. A group of Boston parents has filed a lawsuit against the school committee and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius for what they call a "wholly-irrational" exam school admissions process, which. During her early tenure, staffers at the central office found the new superintendent to be more drawn to splashy proposals than to the grinding back-office work they believed was required to solve the districts problems. According to five current and former BPS officials, she often appeared to make snap decisions, seemingly without contemplating their ramifications. Cassellius had been on the job less than a year when schools closed, but I don't think Cassellius' response helped build trust among parents in the district. When she arrived here in the spring of 2019, she inherited a system plagued by underperforming schools, yawning achievement gaps between Black and white students, decrepit infrastructure, and a distrustful relationship with the community it must serve. Enjoying #umich's first #marketing #communication summit with colleagues Eric Anderson and Nick Looney in the beautiful Michigan Union. It worked. Speaking to a room full of staffers and principals, she explained her vision for the next generation of Bostons high schools. Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments ? After two-and-a-half turbulent years as superintendent of Boston Public Schools, Brenda Cassellius will resign in June, city officials announced Monday. But plans and strategies have to be tethered to reality, says one former BPS official, and that just doesnt include an imaginary train taking kids around a city to schools that dont exist.. As Minnesota students return to school, for most families, the key questions involve their own youngsters. Tanisha Sullivan, president of Bostons NAACP chapter and a member of the districts exam schools working group had called the move a historic and positive, transformative mark on our city.. Boston School Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, right, spoke to the media after she helped dismiss children at the Nathan Hale Elementary School after substitute teaching there in January. The combination of all of these measures made principals heads spin. Prior to the release of AYP data, Commissioner Cassellius provided an optional letter to parents that school districts could choose to send with their mandated AYP letters. As we left Lee K-8, Casselliuss aide invited me back to the BPS central office for an interview. A superintendents contract can be broken with four months notice and the school committee extended Casseliuss contract last year, according to the Herald. That left Brenda Cassellius as the default candidate and the darling of the teachers union. Its been, what? "I will be working in close partnership with the School Committee to move forward the search process for a permanent Superintendent. And Ms. Cassellius has proven to be not a good administrator. Linking the Minnesota MCA III Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests. And she sincerely sought their counsel. That was after she already had two other meetings this morning. In October, school committee members voted to suspend for one year the use of an admissions test for Bostons three elite schools Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy and the John D. OBryant School of Mathematics and Science. She enjoys making connections with the community she covers and imploring others to use journalism as a tool to stay informed and engaged. To some, the practical barriers to implementing the plan seemed nearly insurmountable. She does view her job in terms of improving equity, says Keri Rodrigues, a prominent Massachusetts education activist, but wanting it and being able to make it happen are two different things., Edith Bazile, a vocal supporter of Cassellius during the superintendent selection process, has since concluded that Cassellius doesnt have what it takes to lead the district as it emerges from the pandemic. This new official will be more senior than Casselliuss chief operations officer, the mayor said, and will have a broad scope of operations duties, including school facilities, transportation, and food. Walsh added he is confident in Cassellius and always has been. She asked me what I would do if I was superintendent. Meanwhile, she funneled what she had learned on her listening tour into a strategic vision plan that laid out a roadmap for BPSs next five years. Hi, Wellington. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and. Once, a BPS official saw Briner and Cassellius huddled in a hallway in the Bolling Building. She does not have a day to spend on me. She has previously served as an assistant superintendent at North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale School District and Saint Paul Public Schools. Who is giving that criticism? she asked me. BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius is resigning at the end of the school year. Cassellius recently penned a column for The Washington Post about the teacher and staffing shortage plaguing the schools. Cassellius came to Boston less than a year before the pandemic began, forcing her to deal with several unexpected issues, including remote learning and mask and vaccination requirements, as well as staffing issues. It was so fun to see Tou again in new employee orientation The pandemic impacted us all, including our workforce. It was the early 70s and people werent too nice to biracial children., Cassellius started her career as a special-education paraprofessional and soon rocketed up the ranks. She was looking to the futurea future beyond the pandemicand was on the verge of unveiling her new vision, a plan she called Return, Recover, and Reimagine.Were going to be really reframing and pivoting, she told me, because our five-year strategic planthe one she announced a year ago, parts of which were later lambasted by the principalshas gotten very little attention., The new plan, she said, would increase the budget, close achievement gaps, and turn BPS into a real 21st-century school district., The Best Public High Schools in Greater Boston, The Best Public High Schools in Mass., Ranked, This search result is here to prevent scraping, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli to Open Hook + Line in the Seaport, The Real, Essential Backstory of the MLK Statue The Embrace', On the Market: A Newport Condo Tucked Away in a Stone Turret, Review: Moca Largely Succeeds With Wildly Clever Seafood, Five Boston Homes for Sale for Under $800,000, This Stoughton Artist Paints Saturated Scenes of '60s Suburbia Boston Magazine, Careers and Internships at Boston Magazine. Thats exactly what Boston needed, says Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston chapter of the NAACP. Most employees who leave companies get an exit interview thats how most businesses operate. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "Brenda Cassellius is the right choice for the leader of the BPS,'' he said. It's a sense among parents of "here we go again" and that might even understate the level of aggravation they're feeling. With help from the Minnesota Department of Education and Target, we have completed new videos that are in 7 languages: Hmong, Somali, Arabic, Karen, Dakota, English and Spanish. I dont want this to come off negative, she told me in our first interview, but I think theres almost a sense of pride in that Bostonians say theyre hard on people, just like in Minnesota we have Minnesota Nice., Paul Reville, who served as secretary of education under Deval Patrick and is a supporter of Cassellius, says Cassellius needs to be given time. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year, bringing to an end a three-year tenure marked by COVID-19 upheaval and leaving Boston's new mayor with major decisions on the education and policing fronts. She has overseen defections and ousters among her senior executives, a revolt from school principals, and public excoriation from influential nonprofits and activists. Most recently as Boston Public School Superintendent. She started in the position in July 2019. I think Wu understands that the next super needs the trust of students, their parents and Boston teachers to really hit the ground running. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. "Dr. Cassellius articulated an inspiring, yet practical, vision of how she has been . Working with educators, parents, business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people throughout the United States. Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius will leave her post at the end of the school year. Just to cite one example, she's run through four chiefs of staff in two years. 'Substantial snowfall' likely for parts of Massachusetts, as meteorologists track wintry mix, Howie Carr: The kinked grocery cart under Biden's America, Hire at Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office loses job after old racist, sexist tweets emerge, Patriots slammed in NFLPA survey about team facilities, player working conditions, Boston Police seize 37 dirt bikes and mopeds, recover fentanyl and guns, and arrest 4 after 'illegal drag racing' investigation, Student loan debt cancellation could be on thin ice as Supreme Court takes up case, Massachusetts lawmakers push for relief, Milton asks governor to stop demolition of broken MBTA station staircase, Black WWII vets denied G.I. AN EDUCATION CAREER Cassellius spent her early career as a single mom. She walked into the mayors office, asked for $100 million, and got it. In many ways, this was classic Cassellius, BPS insiders say. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius will step down from her position as the district's chief executive in June a decision that Mayor Michelle Wu described on Monday as. But BPS staffers and observers perceived Brophys work as an emergency rescue mission.