BOSTON - Thursday,
July 22, 2021: Today, Mayor Kim Janey announced the appointment of
Rafaela Polanco Garcia and Lorena Lopera to the Boston School Committee.
The move follows her commitment in June to fill two vacancies and move
the committee forward with greater equity, opportunity and
accountability. Polanco Garcia is a Boston Public Schools (BPS) parent
and serves as Director of Parent Engagement and Organizing at St.
Stephen’s Youth Programs. Lopera is also a BPS parent and Executive
Director of Latinos for Education. Mayor Janey selected Polanco Garcia
and Lopera from a slate of candidates presented by the Boston School
Committee Nominating Panel, which worked independently to conduct the
public application and interview process that attracted 23 applicants.
Both women were sworn-in by Boston City Clerk Maureen Feeney right before
the mayor’s announcement.
“Ms. Polanco
Garcia and Ms. Lopera bring incredible depth of knowledge and lived
experience to the Boston School Committee,” said Mayor Janey. “I am
thrilled to appoint these talented new committee members, who represent
so many of the residents in our city. They will both help to fill the
pages to this new chapter of equity and opportunity for Boston Public
Schools students and families.”
“On behalf of the
school committee, I am pleased to welcome Ms. Rafaela Polanco Garcia and
Ms. Lorena Lopera as our newest colleagues and thank them both for their
commitment to the children and families of Boston and to serving on this
committee,” said Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. “As both
parents in the Boston Public Schools and community activists, their voice
and expertise will be welcome additions as we work to continue to create
true involvement of the multicultural communities across the city and
commend Mayor Janey for their appointment.”
“I am thrilled to
welcome Ms. Lopera and Ms. Polanco Garcia as our newest members on the
Boston School Committee. In the last year, the Committee and I have
worked together to pass important policies around student information
sharing, retention, grading, graduation standards, and exam school
admissions,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.
“We remain committed to closing opportunity gaps and examining current
and future BPS policies through an antiracist lens to advance student
outcomes. I know that both Ms. Lopera and Ms. Polanco Garcia join us with
the professional experience and community perspective necessary to
contribute positively and effectively to our shared goals of equity,
opportunity and excellence for every BPS student.”
Polanco Garcia is
an immigrant who lives in public housing in South Boston and has a
background in law and bilingual advocacy. Her activism on behalf of the
Latinx community in education includes working on the No on 2 campaign in
2016, helping to pass a sanctuary schools resolution, and passing the
Student Opportunity Act. Since 2015, she has served as the Director of
Parent Engagement and Organizing at St. Stephen’s Youth Programs in the
South End.
“As an Immigrant
from the Dominican Republic, it is a great honor for me to represent
English Language Learner families on the Boston School Committee,” said
Polanco Garcia. “As a single mother of a Boston Public Schools student, I
feel committed to my community. I know that many families will be able to
identify with me and together we will be a voice in the school district.”
Lopera is a
Jamaica Plain resident and veteran of local organizations focused on
expanding educational access for Latinx youth and students of color,
including Roxbury-based Sociedad Latina, La Vida, Inc., and Building
Excellent Schools, as well as national organizations such as City Year
and the Posse Foundation. Most recently, she was the Executive Director
at Latinos for Education, New England, the first Latino-founded and led
national organization dedicated solely to creating leadership pathways
for Latinos in education. She is currently co-chair of the Hurley K-8
School Site Council.
“My own
educational experience and my experience as a Boston Public Schools
parent is what will guide my decisions on the Boston School Committee,”
said Lopera. “I’m honored by this opportunity, and ready to roll up my
sleeves to co-design solutions with families, educators, and community
members so all students within Boston can succeed.”
In addition to the
member appointments, Mayor Janey announced plans to extend Racial Equity
and Leadership (REAL) training to all members of the Boston School
Committee.
“REAL training,
which is also being provided to all City of Boston staff, will be a first
step toward setting new rules of engagement among School Committee
members, families and all those with a stake in our schools,” said Janey.
More than 40
percent of Boston Public Schools students identify as Latinx, while
approximately 10 percent of enrolled students live in Boston Housing
Authority developments. Mayor Janey’s appointments expand representation
for these communities and were met with enthusiasm and support from
community stakeholders.
“I am thrilled to
learn about Mayor Janey’s selection of Lorena Lopera and Rafaela Polanco
Garcia as members of the Boston School Committee,” said Dr. Vanessa
Calderón-Rosada, chief executive officer of Inquilinos Boricuas en
Acción, a corporation dedicated to empowering individuals and community
development. “Both Lorena and Rafaela bring an unwavering commitment to
equity in Boston Public Schools, both as parents and as advocates; and as
immigrants, both of them will bring an important perspective to the
School Committee deliberations. I am grateful to Mayor Janey for bringing
these two strong Latina leaders to the Committee!”
"These are
two very thoughtful choices by Acting Mayor Janey that ensure that new
voices and new perspectives are represented on the School Committee,”
said John Riordan, the Boston
Municipal Research Bureau representative on the School Committee
Nominating Panel. “In Ms. Polanco
Garcia, she’s selected a BPS parent who has been a champion of parent
engagement and has the ability to reach parents who may not feel
connected to the school system. In Ms. Lopera, she’s selected a BPS
parent and longtime advocate who will bring important experience in
pushing the school system to make continued improvements."
“I am thrilled by
Mayor Janey's nominations of Rafaela Polanco Garcia and Lorena Lopera to
the Boston School Committee. Both are dedicated Latina leaders who are
parents with young children in BPS, and have been long-standing advocates
for educator diversity and education equity and excellence,” said Betty
Francisco, Chief Legal Advisor for Compass Working Capital, a Non-profit
that assists low-income families with finances. “Rafaela reflects the
unique experience of immigrant families who depend on our school system
for culturally and linguistically competent services. Through her work at
Latinos for Education, Lorena has been a leading voice on educator
diversity and leadership development. They make a powerful combination
and will bring important perspectives that reflect the diversity of the
Latino families in BPS.”
“I am ecstatic
about the news of Lorena Lopera and Rafaela Polanco Garcia ascending to
the Boston School Committee, and I imagine Boston’s Latino community
rejoices, as well,” said Samuel Acevedo, executive director of the Boston
Higher Education Resource Center. “The loss of Alex Oliver-Dávila and
Lorna Rivera from the BSC was inestimable. But succeeding them are a
set of Latinas who are both BPS parents, and have both been – for years -
tireless advocates for our community’s children. Lorena y Rafaela:
Dios las bendiga. ¡Les deseamos todo éxito!”
The new members
will attend their first School Committee meeting on August 4, 2021. |
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