Boston School Committee Confirms Mary Skipper as Next BPS Superintendent

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Boston names Somerville superintendent Mary Skipper to lead Boston Public Schools. Mayor Michelle Wu introduced Skipper Saturday morning at Tech Boston Academy in Dorchester — the school Skipper co-founded in 2003 — one day after the Boston School Committee voted to approve her appointment. Skipper, who served as Somerville superintendent for seven years, named special education and English language learner programming — together affecting one in two BPS students — as her top priorities, alongside transportation reliability and building operations. "It won't be shiny and it won't be sexy, but it will be foundational," Skipper said of the work ahead. School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson framed the stakes plainly: "By the skin of our teeth we have gotten through the first DESE hurdle but now the work begins." Acting Superintendent Dr. Drew Eccleston, a 20-year colleague of Skipper's from their days at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, will manage day-to-day operations during a phased transition expected to be completed in September, with an August 15 state compliance deadline as the district's first formal target.