Acting Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Russell D. Johnston, Mayor Joshua A. Garcia, and Superintendent Anthony Soto met with media representatives late morning on Wednesday, October 30 during a scheduled press conference to provide updates and answer questions related to the commissioner’s prior announcement that Holyoke Public Schools is on track to exit receivership on July 1, 2025.
Just prior to Wednesday’s press conference—held near the front entrance to Morgan School—the three were accompanied by other state representatives as they toured Holyoke High School North and Kelly School and witnessed for themselves a small fraction of the improvements in learning and instruction across the district over the past nine years.
“We have great confidence in the work the School Committee itself has done to really take on the improvement process around governance for the district,” Commissioner Johnston said. “I’ve been able to work with this School Committee to develop a very solid transition plan that will carry them through this period, moving from provisional release of receivership to full release for July 1, 2025. It’s been a great pleasure to work with this School Committee—and an even greater pleasure to see the changes that are happening at the classroom level here in Holyoke.”