On Monday, March 25, Massachusetts Acting Education Commissioner Russell Johnston met first with members of the Holyoke School Committee’s Local Control Subcommittee and then later in the evening with the full School Committee.
During both meetings, he delivered a clear message: He is committed to helping Holyoke develop a clear path forward to resume local control and end receivership of the local school system.
Just six days into his new role as acting commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Acting Commissioner Johnston joined the first of what will likely be eight meetings between now and the end of August as he collaborates with Holyoke School Committee members as they prepare for their enhanced role when receivership ultimately ends. While no date for the end of receivership has been set, the acting commissioner worked with subcommittee members to schedule seven meetings between now and August 19 that will help build their understanding of the School Committee’s roles and responsibilities and develop a document outlining the district’s path out of receivership, he said. As a foundation for that work, Acting Commissioner Johnston referred School Committee members to DESE’s regulations for Accountability and Assistance for Chronically Underperforming Districts and Schools.
“By working together,” he said, “we can establish a plan for transition that will be completed by August 2024 so we have a written document, a plan that will show exactly what the transition to local control will look like.”
Mayor Joshua Garcia echoed Dr. Johnston’s observation that HPS has achieved a number of improvements since the Turnaround Plan went into effect, and those accomplishments should be retained and enhanced going forward.
"In creating a plan for the transition to local control, I find it important that we collaborate to recognize the successes achieved under receivership and also identify where receivership fell short. By establishing agreements on what aspects we wish to uphold and expand upon, and what areas we need to improve, we can ensure progress is not reversed," explained Mayor Garcia.
Acting Commissioner Johnston will meet with members of the Local Control Subcommittee as follows:
Monday, April 8, to review and discuss the Turnaround Plan that has guided the receivership process since 2015;
Tuesday, April 23, to discuss the annual budgeting process;
Monday, May 13, to discuss the policy process;
Tuesday, May 28, to discuss the process for reviewing, hiring, and evaluating the superintendent;
Monday, June 10, to build a plan for collaboration with key stakeholders going forward;
Monday, July 22, to revisit the Turnaround Plan with a focus on continuous improvement going forward; and
Monday, August 19, to review and develop recommendations for School Committee bylaws that would go into effect when receivership ultimately ends.
These seven meetings will begin at 5 p.m. in the Fifield Room of the Holyoke High School Dean Campus. The meetings are open to the public either in person or via Zoom.
As Acting Commissioner Johnston wrapped up his later discussion with the full School Committee on Monday, he said out loud the words that Holyoke community members have been eager to hear for a long time: “We are officially entering the transition process to return to local control.”
School Committee members and others participating in the meeting were visibly relieved to hear his reassurance that receivership will ultimately end, even though no official date has yet been set.
“I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Acting Commissioner Russell Johnston for discussing with Holyoke School Committee members a path forward and ultimately out of receivership,” said Superintendent Anthony Soto. “We know there is still a lot of work that needs to be done as we continue to strengthen our educational programs to ensure that every Holyoke student develops the skills and accesses the opportunities to graduate high school prepared for life, career, and college. It is clear we continue to have a strong ally in Commissioner Johnston, who has been our partner since receivership started in 2015. On Monday, he once again demonstrated his ongoing commitment to the Holyoke community and to working with the Holyoke School Committee and me.”