After passing the state’s standardized superintendent exam earlier this month, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius is officially licensed for the job she’s held since 2019.
Speaking on GBH’s Boston Public Radio Wednesday, Cassellius said she was happy to abide by the laws of the Commonwealth, but noted that the state’s closed-off attitude towards reciprocity licensing, or the allowing of certifications to carry over state to state, makes it harder for qualified candidates of color to rise through the ranks.
Currently, just 4% of superintendents in the Commonwealth aren’t white, according to data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Until now, Cassellius had been operating under a temporary superintendent’s license, despite having served as Minnesota’s education commissioner for nearly a decade — and despite having received a Minnesota superintendent’s license early in her career. Massachusetts state law requires all superintendents to earn their certifications in-state.
“I think that Massachusetts would do well if it wants to increase the number of superintendents of color across the Commonwealth, to look at reciprocity,” she said. “Having been a 32-year educator with a doctorate, I think that looking at reciprocity and having to take a standardized test to prove [ability] is something that should be re-looked at.”
Of course, Cassellius isn’t the only one who’s been subjected to standardized testing recently. 2021’s MCAS results were released on Tuesday, and across the state, performances dipped noticeably from the last go-around in 2019. For BPS, the results were slightly less dismal: a 4% decline in English scores among third through eighth graders, compared to a 6% decline statewide, and a 13% dip in math next to the state’s average decline of 16%.
“I’m not very secretive about my dislike for standardized testing,” Cassellius prefaced. “However, this gives us a good indicator of where our students are at.”
In an effort to support students outside of the classroom, her department released a statement on Tuesday detailing the deployment of a full-time social worker and family liaison in every BPS school. “These staff members reflect the cultures and languages of the communities they serve and are critical to building supportive relationships with students and families,” the statement read.
“Many of our students live in high poverty conditions,” Cassellius explained. “There are both the academic reasons why we need to raise the level of support to students, but also, we need to raise the level of [emotional support for] students and their families.”
During the interview, she was also asked about how her team plans to deploy the addition $400 million in cash, granted as part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds within the American Rescue Plan. She said she’s heard lots of interest from the public in boosting before- and after-school care programs, adding that her department is also looking to prioritize ensuring every BPS school has its own library.
Ultimately, though, $400 million is a fraction of the $1.4 billion annual budget allocated to BPS. Cassellius said she’s been pleased to see as much interest as she has, but that she’s hoping it’ll extend beyond this particular moment of opportunity.
“$400 million is a one-time infusion of cash over three years, so it’s really about $125 million per year,” she said. “What I want to see the public do is be as interested in the $1.4 billion and how we spend that, and hold us accountable for spending that in ways that improve the achievement for children.”
