Things are changing in the Boston Public Schools with the impending departure of the superintendent. Of concern is the fate of the most marginalized students within the BPS, especially kids in special education, those who are experiencing homelessness, Black and Brown students, and immigrants. Mayor Michelle Wu has an opportunity to engage the community to hire a superintendent who will support BPS’s most vulnerable students.
As often is the case, I have an unorthodox idea to help Mayor Wu and School Committee Chair Geri Robinson (a friend) with this process. That is, we could have two superintendents for the BPS.
What? Two superintendents? Why?
Well, having co-leaders has been done in many settings, from wilderness hiking groups to co-presidents at several universities. Having co-leaders helps distribute the responsibility and stress. In additional, co-leaders may have very different skill sets. Imagine one co-superintendent of BPS with an extensive background as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of a diverse school district, committed to educational equity and racial justice. Imagine the second co-superintendent as a scientist or physician with a background in public health, infectious diseases, immunology, vaccine development, or aerosol biology. Such a person could be a great complement to the first co-superintendent because it’s clear SARS Cov-2 isn’t going away any time soon. Many more hurdles remain to reduce transmission and improve science literacy in our schools.
The stakes are high. The Boston Public Schools are at a tipping point, and Mayor Wu only has five months to choose a new superintendent, while engaging community members and advocates in the process. Look to Oakland, California where educators are on a hunger strike over school closures. This kind of turmoil could come to Boston as well.
Fear behaves much like an infectious disease. But so does hope. Here’s to co-superintendents for BPS, and to healing and growth in 2022. The Boston school committee will officially begin the search for a new superintendent at its next meeting on February 15.
Below, a video where I try to learn Eric Clapton’s version of the song, Autumn Leaves. Thanks for reading my blog entry! If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to leave a reply or share with others. And remember, my website is always free.
Philip A. Lederer 
great idea