WU OWNS BPS WITH SKIPPER AT THE HELM

With a new school superintendent and freshly-inked agreement with the state in her pocket, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will be fully accountable for the city’s troubled schools system. Now is the time for Wu to turn a new chapter in the history of Boston’s crises-riddled schools and its 49,000 students.

Will Wu become a real activist and engaged mayor or will she just settle for the same old tired photo ops of reading books to kids that other mayors before her have tried?

The rookie Boston mayor actually came up with two qualified superintendent candidates with roots in the district — not Chicago or Los Angeles. Wu’s preferred choice was a not-so-tightly held secret — Somerville Superintendent Mary Skipper — and that’s who the School Committee ended up choosing.

Just days ago, Wu fended off the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s threats to take over the city’s schools and even avoided getting the dreaded “underperforming” rating that could have saddled the city with extra sanctions.

She also withstood a lastminute maneuver by the Boston NAACP to put the superintendent search on hold because neither of the two finalists were Black.

Now can she sustain it?

Wu truly owns the school system crisis now, for better or worse. And with the pending selection of a new police commissioner, she will be taking on a lot of new responsibilities and problems. The new superintendent and commissioner will define Wu’s first term and determine whether she’s a success or not.

Can she continue to support teachers, navigate test scores, stay on top of attendance rates and deal with the problems of violence and COVID in school classrooms?

The agreement with the state DESE includes many benchmarks and requirements to improve the schools’ performance, like busing and English language learning.

It won’t be easy. If Wu can get the buses to run on time, that’s an achievement all on its own.

And no more publicity stunts please, like outgoing Superintendent Brenda Cassellius taking over as substitute teacher, or the mayor reading to school children. We saw enough of that under Mayors Marty Walsh and Tom Menino.

Walsh ended up feuding with his own superintendent and never got the schools back on track. Menino promised every year to make the schools his number one priority.

It truly is a new beginning for Boston schools under Wu, the feisty first-term mayor who remains popular with voters despite her aggressive style.

STUART CAHILL / HERALD STAFF FILE ON BOARD: Somerville schools chief Mary Skipper, seen at an interview last week, was chosen as Boston Public Schools superintendent.