The Boston school system is facing two lawsuits from female administrators in the central offices who describe a difficult work environment, offering a rare glimpse at the culture inside the notoriously dysfunctional School Department headquarters.
One case alleges that female administrators who work in the Office of English Language Learners aren’t paid equitably. The other contends that a former male assistant superintendent who oversaw student mental health programs created a hostile work environment for older women.
The twin lawsuits stem from Tommy Chang’s tenure as superintendent, which ended in June. Since then, his temporary replacement, Laura Perille, has been trying to overhaul the central offices so they run more smoothly, a process that has included weeding out problematic employees, in an effort to restore public trust and better support individual schools.