Published On: May 24, 2022

Boston Teachers Union joins chorus of parents, elected leaders, and others in slamming prospect of receivership

BOSTON, MA – Today, at a meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, students, parents, educators, community stakeholders, and elected leaders voiced strong opposition to threats of receivership that have been floated by state education bureaucrats. The Boston Teachers Union has issued the following statement echoing that opposition and criticizing the process around a recent state report relative to Boston Public Schools:

“We are glad that the Commissioner did not recommend receivership today, and that we were able to avert a potentially disastrous recommendation that would be seen as a hostile state takeover of our schools. This was only possible due to the advocacy of our communities who recognize that taking away local control is not the answer for Boston Public Schools. Students, parents, educators, community stakeholders, and elected leaders all made their voices heard in an incredibly impactful way, and we hope that the Commissioner and board members will continue to hear our concerns and discontinue any threats to recommend receivership. As we have continually affirmed, there are key areas for improvement and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to make progress and change on those areas in a manner that lifts up local voices rather than marginalizes them. 

As leading researchers, academics, and others have consistently shared, state receivership has been documented to be generally ineffective or harmful in all cases where it has been attempted in Massachusetts, including where it has been attempted at individual schools within BPS. In fact, over many years, receivership schemes by state bureaucrats have been proven to be ineffectual in nearly all cases where they have been attempted across the nation. Second, the report discussed today contains several factual inaccuracies to such a degree that it warrants revision and either to be rescinded or reissued. Additionally, to the extent the report points to some well-known areas where the district has room for improvement, it is demonstrably clear that the City of Boston’s newly and democratically elected mayor has plans and a vision to address those areas and she should be given the opportunity to see those plans through before the state attempts another expensive, harmful and undemocratic takeover orchestrated by partisan bureaucrats.”

– Jessica Tang, President, Boston Teachers Union

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