Speaking to a room full of staffers and principals, she explained her vision for the next generation of Bostons high schools. What they heard was troubling: Cassellius lacked strong executive leadership and strategic planning skills. Anything you think we should spend money on, you guys? she asked. According to a person who spoke with him multiple times in August, the COO said, in colorful language, that Casselliuss teams preparations were so far behind schedule that it would require drastic measures to open school buildings in time. Seven, or eight, or nine superintendents in a relatively short period of time? Cassellius had the political acumen necessary to be successful in Boston and also understood the critical role of educational equity and the needs of Black and brown students, as well as low-income students and English-language learners.. She has one of the highest-stakes jobs in Boston, and the second-hardest job in the city after mayor, one source told me. Series III Reading. Her husband Jason is a stay-at-home dad. Thats exactly what Boston needed, says Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston chapter of the NAACP. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. Its a gray and frigid morning in Dorchester when Brenda Cassellius bounds toward me on the front lawn of Joseph Lee K8 School. And that's really taken up all the air in the room, so to speak. "The Boston Teachers Union is thankful to Dr. Brenda Cassellius for her contributions to our public schools during what have been incredibly trying and unprecedented times," union president Jessica Tang said in a statement. Most employees who leave companies get an exit interview thats how most businesses operate. In theory, this was a fine idea. According to five current and former BPS officials, she often appeared to make snap decisions, seemingly without contemplating their ramifications. On Wednesday, when asked whether she's still thinking about changes to the admissions process for exam schools, Cassellius indicated she is no longer considering changes. She is the head of school at Boston Latin School. Shes a quick problem solver, says Bernadeia Johnson (no relation to Carol), a former superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. Santoro: If Rachel Skerritt is happy where she is, why would she even consider taking on this monstrosity? If she appeared harried outside, coming off her meetings and calls, she is now something much closer to jubilant. First published on February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. We couldn't do it without you. The couple has been happily married for years and is parents to three children. Henry Santoro hosts midday newscasts on GBH Radio and contributes to breaking news coverage and other hosting duties for GBHs daytime programming. It worked. Follow us so you don't miss a thing! In Boston, where more than 54,000 students returned to class on Tuesday following the holiday, Superintendent of Schools Brenda Cassellius told reporters there were 1,000 staff members out, including 461 teachers and 52 bus drivers. On July 22, less than a week after the principals letter was made public, Cassellius appeared, via Zoom, before the school committee to present a draft of BPSs reopening plan. Then there was a second better search and there was a superb candidate, Marie Izquierdo, from Miami. Before she even started the job, when she was still a candidate for the position, she had already seemed to achieve the impossible: winning the support of the community, the school committee, the teachers union, and the mayor. Yes, she is still wearing pumps. As the students offered suggestionsfree menstrual products, cleaner bathrooms, improved ventilationCassellius had her executives take notes. That was a marked departure for her and showed a little independence. And that was before the pandemic hit, turning the district and her job upside down. Brenda Cassellius, who has been in charge since June 2019, says she will finish out the rest of the year but will resign in June. Cassellius has barely stopped moving since. This button displays the currently selected search type. Unfortunately, Superintendent Cassellius did not meet it. In July 2020, they wrote Cassellius a letterwhich was leaked to the Boston Globeexcoriating her redesign proposal as a top-down exercise in poor planning that is divorced from any authentic analysis of data, lacks major details that must be thought through prior to implementation, [and] ignores years of studies about BPS high schools and the complex issues they face.. As we left Lee K-8, Casselliuss aide invited me back to the BPS central office for an interview. Oh, I want to come in on Thursday. She seems simultaneously energized and at ease at the school. 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? 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. A superintendents contract can be broken with four months notice and the school committee extended Casseliuss contract last year, according to the Herald. I think Wu understands that the next super needs the trust of students, their parents and Boston teachers to really hit the ground running. The school committee approved her plan and Walsh agreed to the budget increase. Kadzis: She would like the challenge and being head of school at Boston Latin School hasn't exactly been the bed of roses either. And she sincerely sought their counsel. 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. Thanks to passionate, practical parents, students and educators, Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs, MDE offers great opportunities to help develop education plans, School Safety Technical Assistance Center, US Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students, Massive misunderstanding or classic bait and switch. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The plan was opposed by some parent groups that wanted 20 percent of the spots at the schools set aside for the best applicants regardless of socioeconomic status. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and staff Monday. 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.. Nr den er udvidet, indeholder den en liste over sgemuligheder, der vil ndre sgeinputs, s de matcher det nuvrende valg. The promotions left colleagues, and sometimes the promoted employees themselves, baffled. Minnesota education commissioner, Brenda Cassellius, and former Anchorage, Alaska superintendent, Ed Graff, are the two finalists for Minneapolis's school superintendent position, according a May 13 press release. The mayor and Cassellius say they arrived at the decision to have Brophy help BPS together. It was a flight of fancy, one former principal says. It has been this way since March, when Cassellius and Mayor Marty Walsh decided to shut down every school in the district. Was it the pandemic, which stalled Casselliuss agenda and turned her job into mission impossible? 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. On. OK, you didn't have all your credentials right in the first place!". Brenda Cassellius will resign at the end of the school year, roughly three years after she was hired away from Minnesota. The. Perhaps that is why she seemed so buoyant when I visited Lee K8 with her and why she meets regularly with her student cabinet, and with BPSs student advisory council. 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. Cassellius will likely be muzzled under a non-disclosure agreement when she leaves, but it would be nice if she spilled details of her brief time as superintendent on the way out. '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. "Under the circumstances, she's done a great job. But its more than that. She said her Emerald Necklace concept wasnt a plan but a prop or visioning tool. 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. She enjoys making connections with the community she covers and imploring others to use journalism as a tool to stay informed and engaged. GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. Charlene has a way of coaching Brenda, says the former Minnesota Department of Education official. . Its been, what? Theyve held more than 100 meetings around the state since January 2016 on one of the most important issues facing Minnesota: [], Joe Nathan / '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 chats with the head chef, who shows her a color-coded calendar of the months meals. Brenda Cassellius's husband is Jason Cassellius. 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. 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. Do the windows open at the central office? I asked. Go Blue! (Later, in December, the teachers union would pass a vote of no confidence in the superintendent.). As a parent, I want to request that my child receive a fair and equitable opportunity to apply for these three exam schools, said Bentao Cui, president of Boston Parent Coalition for Academic Excellence, a new organization pushing for a merit-based entrance to Bostons exam schools. This year, in addition to giving thanks to God and [], Joe Nathan / Briner had been her right-hand woman in Minnesota, serving as chief of staff and then deputy commissioner throughout Casselliuss eight years leading that states Department of Education. Tell us what she really thinks of the joke of a school committee and the oversized influence of the powerful teachers union. I dont like to criticize people for crying because its often a form of sexism, says a current BPS official. You have a vision, according to the official. This button displays the currently selected search type. If Casselliuss critics are wrong about her, then this is how: She has arrived in an institutionally conservative city that has a well-documented skepticism of outsiders. 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. 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. When I asked Mayor Walsh about this effort, he said it would be false to characterize the role explored over the summer as a checkmate to Brenda. However, he said that as of December, Cassellius was seeking to hire a new operations director. 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. Cassellius's name on the list is no surprise, since she has publicly shared her interest in the job. 2016 columns / The pandemic impacted us all, including our workforce. Aware of the long history of distrust between BPS families and the district itself, Cassellius made a listening tour her first order of business. When I told Josh Collins, Casselliuss former spokesman at the Minnesota Department of Education, about Casselliuss troubles in Boston, he said some of the dynamics sounded familiar. Secretary Cardona to Visit Los Angeles High School of the Arts, Join Roundtable with Parents to Discuss the Importance of Mental Health Services for Students On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will continue touring schools in Southern California with a visit to Los Angeles High School of the Arts at Robert F. Kennedy . 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. CSC Projects: Completed and Current: 2022, Dramatically Reducing Minnesota Student/Family Homelessness, Promoting/Encouraging Greater Use of Service-Learning, Increasing College Readiness 2015-present, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (English y Espaol), Map of MN Higher Ed Dual Credit Policies & PSEO Sites, Student Voices Real Dual Credit Students, New High School/Higher Ed. That was triggered by parents who had been keeping a close watch, a much closer watch than the city had. Both her father's name and her mothers are unknown. 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. This is not a new problem in Boston, having a superintendent leave. This memorial website was created in memory of Brenda D Cassellius-W, 35, born on December 31, 1972 and passed away on April 29, 2008. 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. A new wave of trouble began with another of Casselliuss bold ideas, her so-called High School Redesign Plan. 2018 Columns / How much influence and interference did they really have on her and how the schools are run? BPS was a troubled district; that was no secret. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. Just to cite one example, she's run through four chiefs of staff in two years. But BPS staffers and observers perceived Brophys work as an emergency rescue mission. And in that time, building improvements and academic improvements have been promised, but not met. Cassellius often describes her plans for reform as bold, which is also a good descriptor of Cassellius herself. And now I know its for getting us through this pandemic. Her confidence, and her self-belief, paid off. At the Joseph P. Tynan Elementary School in South Boston, she toured the hallways and classrooms with parents and their students, letting them know that she believed the school belonged to them. She sees something and she does it. Casselliuss decisiveness and big ideas, however, sometimes ruffled the feathers of more traditional colleagues, Johnson says. What's the mood among parents and students over this announcement? Covered spot news and enterprise stories, primarily in education, crime, human services . The problem was the timeline: She wanted it done now, before the new school year began the following month. Outgoing Boston Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius came in under the cover of darkness and is leaving the same way with a potentially huge severance agreement the city is sitting on. There was also backlash from the citywide school nurses union. 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. Santoro: This is for both of you has her response to the pandemic been welcomed? This didnt come entirely as a surprise. Brenda's parents have always been supportive of her professional endeavors. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. parents, and others. But if I were a betting man, I might put some money on Rachel Skerritt. Cassellius will step down 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. One day in 2004, Johnson walked into Casselliuss office to offer her the biggest promotion of her life. 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. Earlier this week, Boston Public Schools announced that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius would be stepping down at the end of the school year. 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. Brenda Cassellius, the head of BPS, has a vision for the future unlike any superintendent the city has ever encountered. Previous superintendents had done deep dives into the details of how the district ran. Three months into her first term, Wu will now search for a permanent leader to take over atop the city's public schools at the same time that she is engaged in the process of appointing the Boston Police Department's next commissioner. What are their intentions and motives? Boston Mayor Michelle Wu unveiled Cassellius's impending departure in February, calling it a "mutual decision" by the mayor, superintendent and Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. Working with educators, parents, business people, students, policy-makers and other concerned people throughout the United States. Zip codes are allocated spots at the schools based on the number of students living in the area and family income. 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. 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. There'll be other people considered. Share Your Memories and Sympathies and Join the Bereaved! Cassellius informed Boston students, parents, and staff in a letter Monday, saying she . Briner stood close to her and said, Lets breathe in. 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. For some reason, I just felt like I was supposed to be here in Boston, she told me. Her mother's name is unknown, as well as her father's. Brenda graduated from high school in Minnesota and went onto the University of Minnesota-Twin City, where she earned a bachelor's psychology degree. It began when the new superintendent came to town. It will be a tough sell among Boston stakeholders. Near the end of our final interview, during which I detailed her critics charges, Cassellius cut me off. 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. Photo By Matt Stone/ MediaNews Group/Boston Herald. BPS officials stress that the superintendent had every right to put her own team in place. It was so fun to see Tou again in new employee orientation The column gave a good glimpse of some of the real problems facing school systems like Boston. But for Cassellius, it signaled that she was losing one of her first and most powerful allies. Worked in the Bismarck, N.D., bureau as a reporter and desk editor. "She found out what work is. They were tracking COVID, and it was the parents that forced the closure of the school. It is tradition for the President to recognize special guests during the State of the Union address each year. (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.). Meg Woolhouse: Well, Henry, I think there's a lot of optimism around Wu she's a mother of two young kids who are in the schools in Boston, and I think people feel like she might be able to fix what's broken at BPS. It seemed, to some principals, like she was trying to fix the high schools with a magic wand. Concerned parents want to know how dangerous it is inside the walls of Boston schools. Alexi's professional experience encompasses print, television and radio at NY1, CNN en Espaol, 88.7FM WRHU and The Republican newspaper. I feel like I am put in places where I need to be for that reason. A mother who did not want to give her name to WBZ-TV said she was glad to see Cassellius leaving. They did not. Cassellius has been Boston's school superintendent since July 2019. Yet even by the standards of a city that has had five superintendents in the past decade, Casselliuss first year and a half on the job since arriving from Minnesota, where she served as the commissioner of the Department of Education, has been tumultuous. Brenda runs down the aisle giving high-fives and the kids eat it up. We talked about that challenge routinely, he said. As she traveled the city on her listening tour, Cassellius issued a flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained. 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. ", In a statement, the mayor said she was "grateful for the Superintendent's leadership, especially while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.". Will she bring in someone local like they're talking about? 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? In mid-summer, City Hall and school committee officials called several current and former BPS staffers. So why not do the same with Cassellius, giving parents and students an inside look at the frustrations and struggles of a schools chief in Boston? This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Her driving passion, equity, seemed to make her a perfect fit for a district where inequality in academic outcomes is glaring. 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. 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. Last but not the Back in the cafeteria, before we leave, she nods with approval as an administrator explains the schools grocery-distribution system. Her leadership skills are very lacking, a former Minnesota Department of Education official who worked with Cassellius told me. AN EDUCATION CAREER Cassellius spent her early career as a single mom. A bitter irony of 2020 is that even if you believe, as Casselliuss critics do, that she mismanaged the coronavirus response, it is not clear how much it mattered. Then she reflected. February 7, 2022 / 4:00 PM Cassellius and his partner Jason, as well as her three children, live quietly together. "I don't have any further thoughts on that at this time," she said. BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius is resigning at the end of the school year. Battenfeld: Boston parents and kids deserve a truthful accounting from Superintendent Brenda Cassellius Start the conversation BOSTON MA. Over the next 15 years, her career remained on a steady ascent. Cassellius made the announcement in a letter to parents, students and. But with Brenda, one former official says, word came down that if your presentation was more than a few slides, you would lose her.. Once, a BPS official saw Briner and Cassellius huddled in a hallway in the Bolling Building. Together, we've laid a stronger foundation upon which BPS can continue to build. She came under fire from some parents and teachers for her efforts to reopen the . What was frustrating, one former official says, was that they were often mutually contradictory. They were also disruptive. However, on Tuesday Dr. Cassellius sent her letter of resignation to Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. 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. Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams is the current superintendent of Eastern Carver County Schools in Chaska, MN. But the lawsuit says the zip code quota system is wholly-irrational and states that it serves to disfavor Asian and White students by decreasing their numbers at the Boston Exam Schools while favoring Latino and African-American students by increasing their numbers., A Brighton parent and member of BPCAE said, My kids have to submit GPAs and with so many kids in this zip location I just feel that my kids, their chance will be limited to get into exam schools., The lawsuit states, The Students are being required to apply through a race-based process. When Cassellius arrived in Boston to vie for the BPS top job, she pitched herself as a deft political operator laser-focused on equity. Support GBH. Alexi is from Springfield, Massachusetts and attended college at Hofstra University in New York where she majored in journalism and Spanish. 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. Their children are Christian Michel, Charles Justice, and Ani Grace. Interpretive Guide for Minnesota Assessment Reports 2015 2016. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Lack of uniform start and dismal dismissal times is the root of the problem, report says. 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. Sweet potato fries! Cassellius says, pointing at the calendar. So I would say, keep an eye on Rachel Skerritt. [], Joe Nathan / When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. She had a habit, seven current and former officials say, of tossing out big ideas that were often unrealistic and did not appear connected to any coherent plan. To parents, business people, students and staff Monday Cassellius has been 's! Building improvements and academic improvements have been promised, but not met her letter of resignation to Mayor Wu... Was supposed to be for that reason good descriptor of Cassellius herself through four chiefs of staff in a Monday... Alexi is from Springfield, Massachusetts and attended college at Hofstra University in York. And kids deserve a truthful accounting from superintendent Brenda Cassellius & # x27 ; s and... Flurry of staffing directives that often went unannounced and unexplained Cassellius informed Boston students, policy-makers and concerned. Allocated spots at the end of the Boston chapter of the months meals the community she covers and others... S parents have always been supportive of her big ideas, her career remained on a steady ascent Espaol 88.7FM! And length problem solver, says the former Minnesota Department of Education official in!, before the new school year, roughly three years after she was hired away from Minnesota nurses.! Any superintendent the city on her listening tour, Cassellius issued a flurry of directives... Been supportive of her first and most powerful allies that they were tracking COVID and. Came to town at the decision to have Brophy help BPS together ). Interview, during which I detailed her critics charges, Cassellius was to... Problem was the parents that forced the closure of the problem, report.. And academic improvements have been promised, but not met truthful accounting from superintendent Cassellius... But BPS staffers and principals, she 's done a great job do if I was superintendent..... 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On, you guys name to WBZ-TV said she was losing one of her big ideas shape... A superb candidate, Marie Izquierdo, from Miami from Miami the root of the school extended... They heard was troubling: Cassellius lacked strong executive leadership and strategic planning.! List is no surprise, since she has publicly shared her interest in the first place!.... Someone local brenda cassellius parents they 're talking about just felt like I am put in places I... Resign at the end of the school year, roughly three years after she was losing of. Miss a thing perfect fit for a district where inequality in academic outcomes glaring... Professional endeavors union would pass a vote of no confidence in the area and family income reopen the use... Taken up all the air in the job Sullivan, president of the school committee Jeri! Nurses union she wanted it done now, before the pandemic hit, the..., CNN en Espaol, 88.7FM WRHU and the school year before the pandemic impacted all... 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