Latest news with #SchoolCommittee
Boston Globe
12 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Amherst middle school counselor to be reinstated after being fired for allegedly misgendering students
The district failed to document disciplinary measures against the counselor over the alleged actions, and the arbitrator lacked evidence, documents, and key witnesses during arbitration, according to a recent statement from the superintendent. Dykes and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment. However, Dykes's attorney, Ryan P. McLane, who also represented two other employees, in 2023 told the Globe in an e-mail the allegations are unfounded. Advertisement 'My clients did not engage in 'conversion therapy' or any Title IX violation,' he wrote at the time. 'They are Christians, but that does not mean that they are somehow not entitled to a fair investigation. While the law prohibits discrimination based on sex, it also prohibits discrimination based on religious beliefs.' As Dykes is likely to return to the middle school for the new school year in a few weeks, students, parents, and advocates are calling on the district to prevent Dykes from interacting with students. Related : Advertisement Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman, who joined the district in July 2024, said she's working to build transparent systems and to ensure accountability. 'We cannot change the past, but we can and must learn from it. We will use this moment to build stronger systems, reset expectations, tighten guardrails, and create clearer pathways forward,' Herman said. The superintendent acknowledged many oppose Dykes's reinstatement, and asked the community to be understanding and not divisive. 'While we are complying fully with the legal requirements outlined in the arbitration ruling, our long-term focus remains on building systems that reflect our values, protect our students, and holds us all to a high standard of professional conduct,' she said. The district's legal team is working with Dykes's attorneys to ensure the arbitrator's order is implemented, Herman said. Related : During a School Committee meeting July 22, dozens of parents, students, and advocates asked the board and Herman to prevent Dykes from interacting with students. Some pointed to Dyke's alleged behavior documented in a 'If there is no other option, and we have to allow her back into the schools, I ask you to make sure that she not be put into any position where she'll be interfacing with any students at all,' Amber Cano-Martin, who has two children in the district, told School Committee members. She said she planned to write letters to staff indicating her children can have no contact with the counselor. Advertisement Jill Brevik, an Amherst resident and parent of a transgender child, said her family is 'devastated' by the news Dykes will be reinstated. 'While the arbitrator ruled that her termination was flawed procedurally, that does not erase what the investigation actually found,' Brevik said. 'How can someone with this depth of bigotry be returned to a role of authority and trust over vulnerable children? Especially if there's no apology, no recognition of wrongdoing or reconciliation with everybody that has been harmed.' Laura Jane Hunter, whose husband is a teacher at the middle school and two children attend the district's high school, said she doesn't want any of her children near Dykes. 'I don't think she should ever be allowed to be near any student. She should not be in any student-facing position,' Hunter said. 'I don't understand what happened, what went wrong. I want transparency. I want to understand fully where the district failed.' Many who spoke at the meeting acknowledged Herman is a new superintendent, but they still want an explanation of how the district could let Dykes win her appeal due to procedural errors. 'Within your role, you have the purview of setting policies. It is your responsibility right now to review all your policies in relation to bullying, LGBTQIA, racism, so forth and so on,' said Jed Proujansky, a member of the select board of Leverett. 'You need to address those policies, review them with complete transparency, so the community once again has faith and trust in the board and the school district.' Proujansky then addressed Herman directly, stating she has the responsibility of monitoring Dykes's actions as the counselor returns to the district. Herman should make sure Dykes's relationships with students and colleagues are appropriate, he said. Advertisement After public comment, Herman said she's spent a great deal of time reflecting about the district's systems. 'The arbitration decision highlighted long-standing gaps in how we document, communicate, and enforce expectations related to personnel,' Herman said. 'These issues didn't appear overnight. They point to a deeper problem—a system where practices around supervision, performance management, and accountability have too often been informal or inconsistently applied." Change is often uncomfortable, she said, but fear of retaliation will no longer be an excuse to avoid mandatory reporting. Ahead of the school year, Herman will release a complaint and communication guide 'to bring clarity, consistency, and transparency.' Marcela Rodrigues can be reached at
Boston Globe
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
An email with the word ‘ladies' cost him the top job at Easthampton schools. Now, the same email has cost him his lawsuit.
Perrone argued in court papers that Easthampton was bound by an oral contract that took effect when he accepted the job during a telephone call with Cynthia Kwiecinski, who then chaired the school board. But in a 17-page opinion, US District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni concentrated his analysis on the contents of the controversial email, which Perrone sent to Kwiecinski and the committee's executive assistant on March 29, 2023. Advertisement Kwiecinski had told Perrone in a telephone call that he had gotten the job and should be ready for formal approval by the full panel, according to court records. In response, Perrone wrote an email that began with 'Ladies,' a word choice that sparked a broad debate on the definition of 'microaggression' and In his ruling, Mastroianni noted that Perrone asked in the email for a 3 percent raise in the second and third years of the contract, as well as 30 vacation and 18 sick days annually. Advertisement 'All other language and provisions are acceptable to me,' he concluded the email. 'Thank you!" Mastroianni ruled that Perrone was still negotiating the terms of his contract. 'It is undisputed that [Perrone] did not sign an actual employment contract. [Perrone] nevertheless argues he had a valid contract (and a protected property interest),' Mastroianni wrote. 'There is no plausible support, whether direct or inferential, for [Perrone's] legal conclusion that an enforceable contract was created by the March 29 email.' Perrone's contention that he had a valid contract conflicts with Massachusetts law that sets stringent conditions on the hiring of public school superintendents, the judge said. 'Massachusetts public policy requires an affirmative vote of the School Committee to accept any alterations to a previously offered employment agreement,' he wrote. 'As a matter of law, no enforceable contract is formed until such a vote occurs.' He threw out Perrone's 14th Amendment claim with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again. He also dismissed several other claims but left open the possibility for Perrone to bring a new lawsuit in the future. Perrone's attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment. He is now the superintendent of the Kwiecinski is no longer on the school board and Nicole LaChapelle, who as mayor was a voting member of the committee in 2023, left office on July 14 to become commissioner of the state's department of Conservation and Recreation. John R. Ellement can be reached at
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is (and isn't) running for office in Framingham MA this year? What to know
The deadline has passed for Framingham candidates to turn in papers for this fall's city election, and a handful of competitive races have emerged — including a possible preliminary election in September for District 2 School Committee. There are seven competitive races in all, including a rematch from two years ago. Races for mayor, as well as some for district city councilor and School Committee, are contested. At the top of the ballot, Mayor Charlie Sisitsky is seeking a second four-year term. He'll face a challenge from former School Committee member Geoffrey Epstein. Sisitsky was elected to become Framingham's second mayor in 2021, handily defeating incumbent Mayor Yvonne Spicer. Epstein filed with the state's campaign finance committee earlier this year, and his nomination papers were approved by the City Clerk's Office last month. Besides his two terms on the Framingham School Committee, Epstein also served on the Newton School Committee from 2008-13. 'Things are going downhill': Former Framingham School Committee member will challenge Sisitsky for mayor A third candidate, Richard Matias, pulled papers for mayor but did not return them in time to qualify for the ballot. City Council sees four competitive races This year, all nine City Council seats that represent individual districts are on the ballot. The city's two at-Large city councilors, George King and Janet Leombruno, who represent the entire city and serve four-year terms, are not up for reelection Competitive races exist in Districts 2, 3, 4 and 8. In District 2, Brandon Ward is seeking a second term after defeating Sean Silk for what was then an open seat in 2023 (incumbent Cesar Stewart-Morales opted against reelection). Ward will be challenged by Carol Spack. 'Long and arduous process': Steiner defeats Feeney in special election for District 3 council seat In District 3, two newcomers are vying for the seat after incumbent Adam Steiner opted against a fifth term. Mary Kate Feeney and Kenneth Weiss will square off in November to take Steiner's place. Feeney challenged Steiner for the seat in 2021, but lost after a bizarre series of events. The Nov. 2 city election results had Steiner winning by two votes, 997-995. The razor-thin margin resulted in a recount, where Steiner's lead evaporated into a tie that was later overturned by a Middlesex Superior Court judge. The judge ordered a special election for Jan. 11, 2022, which Steiner won comfortably, 716-532. One of Framingham's original city councilors, District 4's Michael Cannon, is being challenged by Framingham nurse Steven Belcher. And in District 8, a rematch is brewing. Incumbent City Councilor Leslie White Harvey faces John Stefanini, whom she ousted two years ago in a close (274-255) race. Stefanini, one of the city's longest serving elected officials, announced his intention to run again last month, citing a backlog of issues that need to be addressed. District 1 Councilor Christine Long, District 5 Councilor Noval Alexander, District 6 Councilor Phil Ottaviani, District 7 Councilor Leora Mallach and District 9 Councilor Tracey Bryant are all unopposed in their reelection bids. School Committee to have district primary this year The School Committee features two competitive races, including one that, as of now, require a preliminary election in September. The School Committee has nine seats, each representing a city district. Three people are running to represent District 2 on the School Committee: Incumbent David Gordon, Luther Evans and Lorena Tovar. Earlier: Two candidates pull papers for District 6 School Committee City Clerk Lisa Ferguson said during the July 15 City Council meeting that there will be a September preliminary election on the ballot, provided that none of the three candidates withdraws from the race, which they must do by Aug. 1 to get their name off the ballot. The only other competitive race for School Committee is in District 6, which will see a new face after incumbent Valerie Ottaviani elected not to pull papers. Brent Lewis, husband of state Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis, D-Framingham, will face Eddie Rodriguez in November. In District 7, newcomer Kyle Shepherd is unopposed after incumbent Tiffanie Maskell did not pull papers. All other incumbent School Committee members are running unopposed: Ricardo Robles (District 1), Jennifer Moshe (District 3), Adam Freudberg (District 4), Judy Styer (District 5), Jessica Barnhill (District 8) and William Labarge (District 9). Other boards have uncontested races Six of the 12 seats on the Board of Library Trustees are up for election. Incumbents Isabella Petroni, Steven Malchman, Ruth Winntee, Jenny DeArcangelis and Matthew Corcoran are running to keep their seats. Newcomer Ronda Andrews is also looking to nab a seat on the board. Three spots on the Board of Cemetery Trustees are also on the ballot this year. Dennis Cardiff and Julie Ferrari are each looking to be reelected, with Steven Schneider also looking to gain a seat. There will be no citywide preliminary election this year, according to Ferguson, which she said will save the city $60,000. Framingham's city election is scheduled for Nov. 4. The deadline to register to vote is 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, if in person and 11:59 p.m. that day online. The District 2 preliminary election for School Committee — if it happens — is Sept. 16. The voter registration deadline is Sept. 6. Once elected, all public officials are sworn in on Jan. 1. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham has seven contested races for its Nov. 4 city election Solve the daily Crossword
Boston Globe
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Boston's schools don't have to be mediocre
After all, the mayor controls the schools, because she appoints all the School Committee members. The buck truly stops at City Hall. Yet, with a mayoral election heating up, the quality of education in Boston Public Schools is shaping up to be at best a secondary issue in the race. Advertisement That's despite the fact that the Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up In a poll conducted last year, most So why isn't education at the top of the mayoral agenda? There are deeply rooted reasons why schools, despite being the biggest single operating department in the budget and the most important city service, tend to be oddly absent from mayoral races in Boston. Advertisement First, perhaps, is history: Until 1991, Boston had an elected School Committee so mayors could legitimately claim that the schools weren't under their purview. A few years later, former mayor Tom Menino made news when he That was more than 30 years ago, though, and neither Menino nor any of his successors have ever in fact been judged harshly for the schools. Then there's the demographic reality that the number of voters who have a direct connection to the district has decreased, because there are fewer students in schools than there were a generation ago. Boston's population is about 650,000 and there are about There's also sheer political calculation: It's not lost on anyone that when former city councilor John Connolly tried to run as an education candidate in 2013, he lost. 'There's a disturbing culture in Boston politics where politicians believe that you can't win on schools and it can only be a divisive issue,' Finally, as this editorial board put it in the Advertisement That, at least, is a problem voters can end: by getting into the habit of demanding more. We can't afford to be defeatist. Especially in a post-pandemic world, in which many white collar workers can live anywhere, Boston needs schools that are good enough to hold on to residents and produce students who can succeed at college or in careers — and not just those able to land a seat at an exam school. In public debates, the candidates should be pressed on how, or if, they would How would they bring the third of students who regularly miss school back into the classroom? What would they do to stop fistfights (and worse) in the schools? Would they ban cell phones during the whole school day and if so, how would they enforce bans? How would they turn the downsizing of the schools — an inevitability, considering long-term enrollment declines — into an opportunity to make the remaining schools better? When she first ran for mayor four years ago, Mayor Michelle Wu had a lot to say about school buildings — she promised a 'Green New Deal' for dilapidated school facilities — and relatively little about what happens inside them, reflecting the kind of play-it-safe mentality Connolly described. Advertisement Her record in office is more encouraging: Wu has started the painful, but overdue process of shrinking the physical size of the district. She hired an impressive superintendent, Mary Skipper. She But violence in the schools — and Her main opponent, Josh Kraft, has called for more Those ideas should get a full airing. So should Wu's record. But families should make sure to tell the candidates their ideas and their concerns, too, and their priorities. The part we all can play in making the schools better is to demand more — to insist that B or C isn't good enough, and that we won't accept buck-passing from mayors. Advertisement Four years ago, Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Boston Globe
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Holyoke schools to exit state oversight July 1 after decade of receivership
State officials announced the official exit to the Holyoke School Committee Monday night, drawing the gratitude of leaders including mayor and board chair Joshua Garcia. Advertisement 'For a very long time, all we've been looking and waiting for is to be considered a partner in how we improve outcomes, improve our systems, in the district,' Garcia said. 'Receivership is not meant to be a permanent situation.' Related : Local officials have been petitioning the state to regain control of their district since 2023, and their path out has been clear since October, when then-acting education Commissioner Russell Johnston said he was removing the district's 'chronically underperforming' status. 'I just want to cry, but I'm happy,' School Committee member Rosalee Tensley Williams said Monday. 'Words cannot express the way I feel right now.' Advertisement The state school board voted to take over Holyoke in 2015 following years of poor academic results. The local School Committee and superintendent were stripped of their decision-making power, and a state-selected leader was installed. Under Massachusetts law, the state can take control of consistently low-performing districts and appoint a so-called receiver who is charged with executing a turnaround plan. Critics at the time opposed the removal of local control from the majority Latino, high-poverty district, but proponents said it as was necessary to give those students a quality education they deserve. At the time, the district had some of the worst academic outcomes in the state, including the lowest graduation rate, just 60 percent, and very wide achievement gaps by race, income, English learner status, and other measures. Simone Fried, a University at Buffalo education professor who has studied the Holyoke takeover and other state interventions, said there were 'systematic violation of children's rights to education' in Holyoke that required some sort of intervention, but 'it's exciting news' the takeover is ending. Related : 'Takeover was never intended, or should not be intended, to be a permanent solution,' Fried said. 'It seems to me that it's a promising sign that they're able to be at a place where they're able to resume local control.' Ultimately, improvements under state receivership have been very limited. While state officials touted increases in the district's graduation rate — 77 percent last year — and other measures, those gains have largely reflected statewide trends. Beth Schueler, a University of Virginia professor who also studies receivership, said while she has found some positive effects in Lawrence, state takeover had a 'neutral to negative' impact in Holyoke and Southbridge. Her research only analyzed data for school years prior to COVID, when schools were abruptly shuttered, but state absenteeism and test score data indicate Holyoke students were Advertisement In their news release announcing the end of receivership, state leaders also cited various operational changes that took place over the last decade. The district expanded its pre-K program to more than 500 seats, redesigned the high school, expanded career-related offerings, and built a new middle school, set to open this fall. 'While school improvement work will continue in Holyoke, it is time for local officials to take the lead,' Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said in a statement. 'Community stakeholders have consistently shared their input into the district's decision-making processes, and the School Committee partnered with a Community Advisory Team as part of the capacity-building plan. This experience is a strong foundation for the district's future.' Related : Tutwiler also serves as interim education commissioner; his successor, Stephen Zrike, the district's initial state receiver and now Salem superintendent, agreed improvements had been made in some areas even if there's more to be done. 'People automatically assume with a receivership that it's just about what happens in the classroom, but the system did need a lot of infrastructural support around operations,' he said. 'It worked in some regards.' Holyoke Teachers Association President Nick Cream cheered the end of receivership, but called for the lifting of compensated in part based on their effectiveness as educators, their professional growth, and student academic improvement. Advertisement Cream said the union does not believe it's a full exit of state control until those provisions end. 'If we don't have control over having a say in those things, we're not going to have the outcomes we believe our students deserve and students need,' he said. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at
