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Boston, MA
Josh Kraft unveils plan to revamp Boston Public Schools, says Michelle Wu has failed district
Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft rolled out a comprehensive plan to revamp the embattled Boston Public Schools, and in doing so unveiled a third major area his campaign sees as a vulnerability for Mayor Michelle Wu.
Kraft released a five-page “plan to provide current and future generations of Boston families the BPS education they deserve” today, following other plans he’s put forward to tackle the issues of housing affordability and Mass and Cass that he says the mayor has failed to resolve during her first term in office.
The state of the city’s public school system, which narrowly avoided receivership a few years ago, is another key area Kraft — a son of the billionaire New England Patriots owner and longtime philanthropist — says he would focus on, should he be elected mayor this fall.
“Under Mayor Wu and her administration, BPS continues to fail our students and families,” Kraft’s new plan states. “BPS lacks both academic excellence and the basic support families need to ensure their children will learn and thrive, let alone arrive at school on time. Without an achievable plan and the ability to execute it, BPS will continue to remain substandard.”
Kraft’s campaign contends that his plan “puts students and families first, prioritizes parent and community engagement, nurtures and accelerates partnerships, and returns strong competent management to the school district.”
Per the plan, Kraft would focus on improving the district’s “persistently low literacy rates” by at least 10% through a “combination of high-dosage tutoring and community-driven partnerships,” and revitalizing vocational education as an alternative career pathway to today’s traditional college route.
His plan calls for renovating Madison Park, the city’s only vocational school, “the right way,” through a “community-oriented, efficient process” that “prioritizes making this school a regional leader for vocational education” — though it doesn’t get into specifics about how he would look to tackle such a massive project.
Renovations for Madison Park were tied into Wu’s plan to move the highly-rated O’Bryant exam school to West Roxbury, killed by Wu after community blowback, and have since been in limbo.
The estimated price tag for that rehab was reported earlier this year as roughly $700 million, a staggering amount that has the mayor saying she will seek funding from the state to help cover the costs, rather than have the city pay for it with its own money, as was her initial plan, according to a Boston Globe report.
Kraft’s plan also calls for a reevaluation of the current exam schools admission policy, as well as the number of seats available to ensure that BPS students who meet the necessary requirements are able “to attend one of these flagship schools.” His campaign contends that is not the case today.
To increase family and community engagement, Kraft’s plan calls for a switch from an appointed to a hybrid school committee, which Wu opposes. The hybrid committee would consist of elected and mayoral-appointed members, rather than today’s entirely mayoral-appointed board.
He’s proposing a leadership shakeup to bring a “results-oriented management style back to City Hall.” He envisions two superintendents for the district that would “split the job” and report to the mayor.
A so-called superintendent of operational management would focus “exclusively on the nuts-and-bolts” of the city’s school system and a superintendent of schools would “maintain and guide the academic success of the district.”
Kraft’s campaign says BPS students and their families have been “blindsided” by recent school closures, and he would “develop and implement a long-term facilities plan within one year in office.”
Kraft is also placing the blame for “chronic” school bus delays squarely on Wu, saying that his plan would fix the district’s “broken transportation system,” but his plan doesn’t elaborate on how he plans to do so.
His plan also calls for greater partnership with the state, community organizations that work with youth, and parents, who he thinks should have a dedicated office in City Hall that would “prioritize clear communication channels between families, the BPS administration and the mayor’s office.”
Surprise: Another weekend and there’s more rain on the way. It’s bad enough we’ve had to post a First Alert.
For now, we’ll watch as clouds thicken today. We’ll squeeze out some drops later this afternoon and evening.
A weather maker is winding up in Canada, wrapping in cold air. All of that is going to dive down to New England.
We’re in the thick of it tomorrow. Rain will be coming at us in bursts with some dry time in between. Winds will likely push past 50 mph in Boston.
Those winds will eat away at temperatures; with wind chills barely above freezing. And no – not just in the morning – but the afternoon, too!
It’s so cold there’s the threat of snow as that rain bumps into colder air over the Berkshires, Worcester Hills and southern New Hampshire right up to Mount Washington.
The snow isn’t going to pile up but just know there could be some flakes flying over our highest hills.
The blue on our Futurecast map marks the spots where snow could mix with rain.
Rain spins out by Saturday evening but not before dumping about half an inch over Boston.
We’ll try to salvage the rest of the weekend with temperatures in the upper 60s by Sunday. Still, there’s the threat of bits and pieces of rain.
By the way, this isn’t any weekend, it’s the last weekend of spring. Meteorological summer starts on June 1.
The first day of summer remains drab and dreary with more rain chances and temperatures in the low 60 on Monday.
Federal immigration demands are once again centered on Massachusetts.
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent three letters to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden demanding, among other things, information on how many ICE detainers BPD has received and declined to honor from 2022 to 2026 and any communication between the three departments related to immigration.
House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “releasing repeat criminals back to the streets solely because of their immigration status is crazy, and that’s exactly what Boston is doing.”
But Democrats push back on that framing.
“You’re familiar with Jim Jordan and his antics,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “This is more circus, it’s more theater and it’s not making our community safe.”
A spokesperson for the City of Boston wrote, “the city has provided this information many times…” going on to say “…these policies are part of keeping Boston the safest major city in America.”
The letters call for the documents to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee by June 10th at 5:00 pm. District Attorney Hayden’s office told NBC 10 they are reviewing the letter, neither Commissioner Cox or Sheriff Tompkins responded to requests for comment.
On the Market
Ted Kennedy Jr. speaks on the importance of his late mother’s Boston home, now for sale.
At first glance, Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay home may not appear all that unusual, but the endless stories held within its walls illustrate how a sacred space became one woman’s shelter from the storm.
After divorcing Ted Kennedy in 1982, Bennett Kennedy returned to Boston and moved into 250 Beacon St. #10, and remained there for more than four decades until her death at age 89 in October. Now, her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which measures 2,075 square feet, is on the market at $2.59 million.
“Her home really played an important part in the transformation of her life,” her son, Ted Kennedy Jr., told the Globe. “She was a newly divorced woman coming back, trying to reestablish her roots in Boston, and she had her music, which was part of her unique identity, apart from being married to my father. She was seeking to reinvent herself and live on her own terms.”
It was there at 250 Beacon where Bennett Kennedy restarted her life. She earned a master’s degree in music education at 44, and became a staple on the Boston classical music scene, thanks to her lifelong dedication to the piano. But it was also where she faced significant struggles, ranging from depression to alcoholism. She didn’t hide her battles at a time when they weren’t commonly discussed.
“She paved the way for many other women who were suffering in silence,” said Kennedy Jr. “The Boston community just took her in and provided her with friendship and support.”
The circa-1925 building features an elegant lobby that leads to the elevators. Inside the fifth-floor unit, a foyer flows into a hallway and into the spacious living room, where hardwood floors run throughout and a wood-burning fireplace sits under a unique carved mantel surrounded by marble. But it’s the windows that capture the eyes, with views of the treetops and the Charles River in the distance.
“She would sit at her piano in the condo every afternoon for hours,” said Kennedy, who noted that the home later served as the spot where his mother penned “The Joy of Classical Music,” a guide for introducing classical music to families. Prominent musical figures, including John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, and Arthur Fiedler, were frequent guests.
The open floor plan continues in the dining area and library, filled with built-in bookcases and oversized windows.
The living room fireplace is two-sided; on its opposite side is the primary bedroom suite, with built-in bookshelves and a massive bay window with beautiful views. The primary suite features an en-suite bathroom with a pink vanity.
“These front rooms, all three of them, the amount of glass and the size of these windows are just magnificent,” said Linda Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing and knew Kennedy for years. “Being on the fifth floor, she sat right at the tree line, looking at the Charles River.”
A second of three full bathrooms has elegant marble tiles and a step-in shower. Across the hallway are two closets for storage and the galley kitchen with green/blue cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.
There are three bedrooms, one with teal carpeting and ample built-in storage.
The home has central air, and the building has a live-in superintendent. The fee is $1,725.39 per month. The piano is not included as part of the sale.
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