Meet the two public candidates for Boston Public Schools superintendent
They’ve never done this kind of thing, but they’re ready to learn — and they have lots of ideas
By Alain Jehlen
Most candidates for Boston Superintendent of Schools have kept their interest in the job under wraps to avoid making their current bosses mad.
But two candidates are waging very public campaigns. They are BPS parent Jean Powers and BPS teacher and parent Michael Maguire. Both have laid out extensive platforms on Twitter.
These campaigns are partly about fun, but both candidates are putting forward serious proposals for solving glaring inequities in the Boston Public Schools.
Powers threw her hat in the ring after reading that Mayor Marty Walsh said that “Boston is a great place to learn to be a superintendent.”
Since I have no experience or qualifications for the job, I believe I am the ideal candidate,” wrote Powers, using her “happy2bmad” Twitter handle.
Her first promise: “I will communicate in real language that humans understand. I will never send an email to families that says ‘DESE has emphasized that Next Generation MCAS should not be compared with the original, Legacy MCAS.’ The only DESE I acknowledge is DESE NUTS (#deeznuts).”
She’s full of innovative ideas. Since the Orchard Gardens School community has to keep picking up used hypodermic needs from their playground, why not turn that activity into a fundraiser?
“For every needle the kids collect, the city puts a dollar into their school budget. Maybe we can raise enough for a school counselor!”
But her candidacy is not all about sarcasm. On the needle probem, she says, “When I’m superintendent… City workers — not teachers — with metal detectors will perform morning sweeps of any #BPS grounds where needles have been found.”
She also proposes several ways in which BPS could work with the Police Department to keep students safe and promote better relations between police and students, including: “BPS will explore a mentor relationship with BPD in order to increase diversity in BPD cadets and provide opportunities for community service for BPS students.”
And she has a radical idea for schools with low test scores: “No more turnaround school bs. It’s cruel and destructive and it doesn’t work and it’s never worked. Instead we go into the school and ask the teachers what they need and then we give it to them.”
Since Powers’ campaign promises can be a little hard to find online, we’ve posted all 20 (or maybe 21) of them here.
Maguire, a Latin teacher at Boston Latin Academy and also a BPS parent, has her beat on the numbers.
He’s posted 94 memos about key school issues and what he would do if he gets the job. That’s just one shy of the 95 theses that Martin Luther is said to have nailed to a church door in 1517, setting off the Protestant Reformation.
But Maguire used Twitter and Instagram (search for #SuperintendentMaguire), perhaps because the Bolling Building has automatic sliding glass doors, not suitable for nailing.
He posted his 94 memos on Instagram here.
Maguire is best known for his challenge to the mayor during heat waves last June and September: Turn off the air conditioning in city offices until students have AC in their schools.
He has also challenged top officials to take the MCAS and to eat school lunch (#BPSLunchDate).
Like Powers, Maguire has put forward many provocative ideas in his campaign for the top job. A few of them:
“All employees at the Bolling Building … shall spend one day each year as a substitute teacher.” (Memo 2)
“We shall no longer use shame as a motivator. Public color-coded behavior charts and data walls are hereby forbidden.” (Memo 78)
“We shall once again teach cursive.” (Memo 44)
A proposal for making the School Committee accountable
Maguire also has a plan for reforming the School Committee. Instead of having the mayor appoint the members, they could be chosen by constituencies with a stake in the city’s schools including teachers, parents, and others. The mayor could appoint one, too.
Both candidates support the proposal that the BPS budgeting process should start by ensuring that every school can provide all of its students the elements of a quality education, and their ideas about what that guarantee should include are similar.
Powers’ list includes:
- A library
- A science room
- An art room
- A music room
- An outdoor classroom (teaching garden)
- A playground
- Science, art, and music teacher(s) providing instruction in the form of at LEAST one class per week for ALL grades …
- At least one (non-English) language lesson per week for all grade levels
- At least one full-time nurse
- At least one full-time counselor
Some of the other candidates for superintendent may soon be joining Powers and Maguire in the public spotlight. The search committee is expected to name finalists this month.
