BPS superintendent gets full license back
Brenda Cassellius passed licensure exam
Every year, myriad school-age teens are delighted to finally get their licenses, and the freedom that comes with them.
But at the start of this school year, no one in Boston Public Schools might be happier to get her license than the person in charge: Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, who will be able to keep doing her job after a bizarre turn of events left her without the full ability to run the district for a few weeks.
BPS announced Friday that the state told them that Cassellius had passed her licensure test last month, meaning she now is back fully licensed after a lapse.
“I am pleased today to learn that I passed the licensure exam and have completed this last component of the state’s licensure requirements,” Cassellius said in a statement during the second day of school. “I look forward to welcoming our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students back to school on Monday and remain committed to the important work ahead.”
The state license lookup confirms that she has her initial license, issued Friday.
Chaos ensued in the first week of August, when state Commissioner of Education Jeff Riley called Cassellius to inform her that her provisional license had expired. Cassellius then apologized to the school committee, blaming it on some unspecified “miscommunication,” even though the state says they had told the district this problem was looming.
Cassellius continued to work on the expired license as she got ready to take the final test, though the district did start having a licensed second administrator sign off on documents. The state then gave Cassellius her license back on a temporary basis until the results of her test came back.
Cassellius in the Friday statement that the on-time arrival rate for buses increased to 81% after it was at 57% yesterday. That firstday low number — though higher than many past years — led to the administration taking flak from mayoral challengers, who gave Cassellius moderately low marks when asked to grade her performance in Thursday night’s debate.
“These milestones are the result of dedication and collaboration and I want to thank the entire BPS community for their tireless work. As we greeted students and staff returning to school yesterday I saw so much joy and happy reunions,” Cassellius said in the statement.
The school committee in June voted to extend Cassellius’ $300,000-plus annual contract after she’d run the district for two years. Cassellius previously served as a superintendent in Minnesota and that state’s top education official.