Mayoral Candidate Warns Of 'Generational' Learning Loss In Boston Schools, Disproportionate Toll On Poor And Nonwhite Students

Boston City Council Working Session On Opioid Crisis — BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 13: The Boston City Council, chaired by Councilor-At-Large Annissa Essaibi-George, second from right, holds a working session on the opioid crisis in the Piemonte Room at Boston City Hall on Aug. 13, 2019. The session is open to the public. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Aidan Connelly is a production assistant on Boston Public Radio. A graduate of Emerson College with a B.A in journalism, his work has appeared on WBUR, KCRW, and The Marketplace Morning Report.

March 02, 2021

Updated August 07, 2023

During a Tuesday interview on Boston Public Radio, Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi-George said the city needs to be doing more to support under-resourced students during the pandemic, warning that the toll of a widening achievement gap could last “a generation.”

Essabbi-George, who taught in East Boston public schools for 13 years, said more needs to be done to prioritize the vaccination of educators and school staff but added that she doesn't believe shots for teachers ought to be mandatory for bringing children back to classrooms.

“It has been a very long time, and too long for too many of our kids,” Essaibi-George said. "I worry about the lack of engagement by many of our kids and what that means for them both academically and socially, and what sort of impact that’s going to have on them for the rest of their lives.”

Teachers are currently scheduled for Phase II, Group 3 of the Massachusetts vaccine rollout, which Gov. Charlie Baker has said he hopes will be under way in a matter of weeks. Asked whether she believes the state’s initial shipments of the newly-approved COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson ought to be reserved for education workers, the councilor-at-large said it was something leaders should “absolutely explore."

Essaibi-George has also been vocal about the need for mobile vaccine clinics to help protect vulnerable Bostonians who aren't able to travel to a clinic or mass vaccination site — either because of lack of mobility or significant vulnerability to COVID-19. At the end of this week, a program she's championed on the city council will equip Boston EMT workers to do just that.

"I’m excited to get to it,” she said. "This is a way to connect with those residents and offer them the vaccinations they need.”

Ultimately, though, she said widespread access to COVID-19 vaccines can’t happen until the state gets a significant boost in its supply. Massachusetts currently receives around 130,000 new doses each week. With those limitations in mind, she said the mobile clinics need to be "very intentional and specific” about who gets innoculated — for now.

The city councilor, who also owns the Dorchester yarn shop Stitch House, spoke favorably about Baker's move to allow Massachusetts businesses to reopen at greater capacity. She said leaders need to be "holding the hands" of business owners in order to get the local economy back on track after 2020 saw a 44% drop in small business revenue, according to Harvard researchers.

"We need to make it easier for businesses to get back engaged," she said, to reestablish consumer confidence and create safe opportunities for business owners to reopen and "reengage" with customers.

Reflecting on her mayoral campaign, Assaibi-George said she believes her combined experience as a mother, teacher, small business owner and city councilor provide her with ample experience to lead the city of Boston in outgoing Mayor Marty Walsh's wake.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” she added.

Aidan Connelly is a production assistant on Boston Public Radio. A graduate of Emerson College with a B.A in journalism, his work has appeared on WBUR, KCRW, and The Marketplace Morning Report.