First Hearing on Elected School Committee: Monday, December 6th
An elected school committee is within our reach, but we can’t get there without you!
November’s 79% YES vote sent a powerful message, but we still have a fight ahead of us to make sure that undeniable mandate for an elected school committee is fulfilled.
We need you and everyone in your network to send the message that righting this 30-year civil rights wrong must be a priority in the upcoming session of City Council.
Only sustained public pressure from voters like you will ensure the Home Rule Petition makes it through the city council, Mayor & State House to be enacted in 2022.
The first hearing in the process of restoring Boston’s right to vote for School Committee is this Monday, December 6th
Will you join us to let the Mayor and City Council hear loud and clear that restoring democracy just can’t wait?
Even if it’s just a brief statement of support for restoring an elected school committee without delay, your voice will make a difference. Your testimony—on Zoom or in writing—can be as brief as you’d like. What’s important is that your voice is heard and your opinion is counted.
Make your voice heard—sign up to testify
Email Michelle.A.Goldberg@Boston.gov and let her know that you’d like to testify regarding Docket #0899 to receive Zoom connection info.
You can also submit your testimony in writing through December 8th. Complete info about the hearing is available here.
Will you speak up to make sure the City Council knows how important this change is to the residents of Boston? We look forward to hearing from you on Monday!
Please forward the link to this page widely throughout your network
The hearing will start at 3:30pm Monday.
Public testimony will begin some time after 5:30pm.
We hope you can tune in to see the whole hearing, but if you can’t make the beginning of the hearing you’ll still have the opportunity to testify!
Beginning at 3:30. the City Council will hear compelling testimony from three panels featuring community leaders, parents, students, teachers, former School Committee members and the country’s leading researchers on school district governance. Councilors will have the opportunity to make opening remarks and ask questions of the panelists. The public will also have the opportunity to offer testimony, likely beginning sometime after 5:30.
The hearing will be broadcast on City Council TV and a recording of the hearing will be available afterwards on YouTube.
Your testimony on Zoom or in writing, can be as brief as you’d like—what’s important is that your voice is heard and your opinion is counted.
Need some help getting started? We’ve included a few bullet points below that you can feel free to use and modify for your own testimony.
I’m here to express my strong support for an elected school committee and to urge you to move decisively to approve a home rule petition so this change can be enacted in 2022.
I urge the City Council to expedite the process of designing a new school committee structure that ensures representation and accountability--and to make this a top priority in your new session.
The mandate of the people in November was undeniable. Bostonians from every precinct in every neighborhood want to see an elected school committee restored without delay.
It’s not just a schools issue. Having an elected school committee is fundamentally a voting rights issue—and a civil rights issue.
The restoration of democratic control over the Boston Public Schools is long overdue. In this moment of historic change, this should be the first order of business of our new city government.
I support a fully elected school committee because democracy and local control are the foundation of American public education. An elected school committee won’t guarantee equity, access, and opportunity, but history has shown it’s a necessary first step.
I believe that this critical policy-making board, whose decisions affect the current and future lives of 50,000 Boston children, should be accountable to city residents.
I believe an elected school committee will foster greater engagement of Boston residents in our public schools.
Make your voice heard.
Will you speak up to make sure the City Council knows how important this change is to the residents of Boston? We look forward to hearing from you on Monday!