Boston Superintendent Finalist Skipper Faces Educators Panel in First Public Interview

Uncategorized · Meeting of July 20, 2026

Boston Public Schools superintendent finalist Mary Skipper faced an educators panel in the first of two public interview days for the district's superintendent search. Skipper, superintendent of Somerville Public Schools, answered questions from seven BPS educators and school leaders during a 90-minute Zoom webinar moderated by Carlene Pignato, principal at the Channing Elementary School and a member of the Superintendent Search Committee, which narrowed a field of 34 candidates to two finalists. Skipper called for expanding newcomer-specific academies for English language learners, said she would commit to exploring school quality reviews as a system accountability tool, and described wanting a central office that is "school facing in everything we do." She drew on her experience merging Tech Boston Academy with the Woodrow Wilson school to address grade reconfiguration under the city's Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools, warning that adding grade levels to established school cultures is "life changing" and requires teacher overlap, transition planning, and union partnership.

The second finalist, Dr. Tommy Welch, region one superintendent at Boston Public Schools, was scheduled for a full day of public interviews the following day.

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Source: the Uncategorized meeting of July 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.