BPS Superintendent Finalist Skipper Details Partnership, Equity Plans in Community Panel

BOSTON — July 21, 2026 — BPS superintendent finalist Mary Skipper faces community panel on partnerships, equity, and student safety. Skipper, superintendent of Somerville Public Schools, is one of two finalists for the Boston Public Schools superintendent role following a search that began in March with 34 candidates; the search committee narrowed the field to eight through May and June, then voted on June 16 to advance finalists for the School Committee's consideration, with two candidates withdrawing before public interviews began. Moderated by Search Committee member Jose Valenzuela, Monday's 90-minute Zoom panel — restarted at 11 a.m. after a technical failure with the original meeting link — featured seven community partner questioners including Edvestors CEO Marinel Roumenier, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology President Aisha Francis, and Boston Centers for Youth and Families Commissioner Marta Rivera. Skipper described bringing Somerville's dropout rate from roughly 7 percent — about 1,500 students — to below 2 percent through tiered educational options, said her leadership team shifted from "almost all white" to between one-third and one-half educators of color, and proposed a "13th year" program for BPS graduates not yet ready for college or the workforce. The second finalist, BPS region one superintendent Dr. Tommy Welch, was scheduled for his community panel on Tuesday.