The process of replacing Tommy Chang as Boston Public Schools superintendent is ending the way it began: hurriedly, secretively, and with little apparent consideration of either the desires of the BPS community or for the requirements of this job. The superintendent will directly impact the lives of tens of thousands of Boston’s next generation.
At the start, Superintendent Chang was summarily dismissed by the mayor with no notice or even participation by the Boston School Committee, never mind community input. He was replaced with an interim superintendent again by the mayor with no notice and took a media tour with the mayor before the school committee had a chance to even ratify the fait accompli.
Once on the job, Interim Superintendent Laura Perille was vague in responding as to whether she would be applying for the permanent position. After community pushback, she announced in an editorial, she would not. The search committee then began. It lacked the voice of a black parent, not employed by the district. None of all the three finalists had the experience as specified in the job description, which community groups advocated to require at least five year’s previous superintendent experience. Despite all of this, the process moved forward.