The Boston School Committee has voted to confirm Brenda Cassellius — a career educator who rose from paraprofessional to state commissioner, mostly in Minnesota — as the next superintendent of Boston Public Schools.
Cassellius was chosen by a 5-2 vote at a committee meeting in Dudley Square on Wednesday evening. Cassellius confirmed to WBUR Thursday morning that she will accept the post in Boston; she was also a finalist in the search to find a state superintendent for Michigan schools.
The pick came as a pleasant surprise to many teachers and activists at Wednesday night’s meeting. They had come to complain about the lack of nurses in BPS, delays in securing a new contract for the Boston Teachers’ Union — and about the lack of transparency in the superintendent search.