Dear Friends,

Our school buildings are once again bustling with children and teenagers – the season feels full of promise!

The Committee has met twice since the start of school.  Alongside routine business, we have discussed plans for strengthening organizational culture in the 2024-25 year, recognized the Interim Superintendent’s revised cabinet, approved an ad hoc subcommittee focused on School Councils, and directed the school department to work with the Department of Public Works on better maintaining playgrounds.

Gathering at a back-to-school resource fair!

The most important topic the Committee has discussed is the timeline for hiring our next permanent Superintendent.  For me, the central question is how to ensure both authentic public engagement and the strongest pool of candidates.  We’ve been told fall is the best time for posting such positions.  In June, Member Rojas and I shared a draft timeline with the Committee in order to begin a public conversation about our process, hoping to get started over the summer.  Unfortunately, the Committee was not ready.  This month, we revised our proposal to discuss the pros and cons of multiple timelines.  Mayor Simmons also brought a detailed list of required tasks.  While the Committee has not decided on target hiring dates, my sense is that the majority lean toward taking this school year to define priorities with community members and develop the job description.  This could mean posting the job in August 2025.  Stay tuned.

In other policy news, we revisited a policy proposal about School Committee meeting registration which I introduced last spring.  Going forward, anyone can sign up as soon as there is a public agenda (for full School Committee meetings) or when a subcommittee either posts an agenda or is meeting in two weeks (whichever is later).  

Interim Superintendent Murphy opening the school year with all staff.

On a different and vitally important note, voting in the Presidential election is beginning.  We all know how high the stakes are, so I hope you will plan to spend time talking with voters in swing states.  Please consider this a personal invitation to join me and the group Cambridge for Kamala for canvassing in New Hampshire on Saturday, October 26.  

To help with Pennsylvania (and/or if canvassing isn’t your thing), you can textbank or phonebank from your own home (much more effectively than with postcards) to Pennsylvania voters.  

I am personally grateful to everyone who has worked and is working to preserve our democracy and freedom.

In collaboration,

Rachel