波士頓市長吳弭指派3人出任學校委員會委員

MAYOR MICHELLE WU APPOINTS LYDIA TORRES AND FRANKLIN PERALTA, AND REAPPOINTS STEPHEN ALKINS TO BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE

BOSTON - Saturday, January 3, 2025 - Mayor Michelle Wu today announced three new appointments to the Boston School Committee, Lydia Torres, Franklin Peralta, and Dr. Stephen Alkins. Torres and Peralta will begin their first terms, and Dr. Alkins will begin his second term, after first being appointed by Mayor Wu in January 2022. The Boston School Committee is the governing body of Boston Public Schools (BPS). “I’m excited to reappoint Dr. Stephen Alkins and appoint Ms. Lydia Torres and Mr. Franklin Peralta to the Boston School Committee. These three leaders embody the dedication, expertise, and passion for serving our young people that will help guide our work to make Boston Public Schools the first choice for all our families,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Each brings a personal connection to our schools and the professional experience to complement Superintendent Skipper’s leadership. I’m grateful for their service and look forward to partnering with these members and the entire School Committee in this work."   “There's much generational work to be done. To truly make BPS a high-quality experience for every student, we must focus on addressing critical opportunity and achievement gaps and reimagine the ways we do this in partnership with our families and community organizations,” said Dr. Stephen D. Alkins, Jr. “BPS is building upon this through districtwide investment in foundational literacy and inclusive education reform, but we must continue to engage in deep, critical discourse, transparency with families, data analysis, and accountability.” “I have spent my entire life in BPS––as a student, teacher, parent, and school and district leader,” said Lydia Torres. “I’m honored to be appointed to the Boston School Committee as the capstone of my career serving the district I love and I look forward to helping the district advance opportunities and outcomes for students.” “It is a true honor for me that Mayor Wu has chosen me to join the Boston School Committee”, said Franklin Peralta. “As I said several times through the application process, education has opened doors for me to enter places where I never dreamed I would be. I’m ready to join the talented and committed group of leaders in the School Committee to continue offering these same opportunities to all our students in the Boston Public Schools." “We are excited to welcome three school committee members who each brings a valuable perspective to our collective work to advance educational equity and excellence across Boston Public Schools,” said Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson. “We remain committed to advancing our important work through partnerships with families, educators, and the broader community to ensure every student has access to the high-quality education they expect and deserve. I look forward to working alongside our new and returning members as we continue the critical work of moving our district forward.” “I look forward to working closely with each new and returning school committee member as we continue to strengthen and advance Boston Public Schools for every student we serve,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper. "Ensuring the success of our students is a shared effort that takes strong governance, collaborative leadership, and strong partnership with educators, families, and communities. Alongside our school communities and City partners, we will remain focused on improving student outcomes, supporting our educators, and ensuring every school has the resources and supports needed for all students to reach and succeed beyond the classroom." First appointed by Mayor Wu in January 2022, Stephen D. Alkins, Jr., Ph.D. is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (and Belonging) Officer (DEIO) and Co-chair of the DEI Council at TERC. With his leadership, Stephen helps craft and implement the vision for DEIB at TERC through his collaboration on NSF STEM education grant development in multiple learning environments (informal and formal K-16 spaces). His role and responsibilities include recruitment and retention of a diverse research and infrastructure staff, internal policy review, development and analysis of inclusive educational opportunities and social programming, and establishment of collaborative partnerships to promote equity for all STEM learners. A resident of Mattapan and BPS parent, Dr. Alkins received his B.S. in Biology from Morehouse College and his Master’s and Ph.D. in Cellular Neuroscience from Brandeis University.

Lydia Torres, a Roslindale resident, has nearly four decades of experience as a Boston Public Schools educator. She began her career as an English as a Second Language teacher at the Hennigan School, and has served as a literacy specialist, literacy coach at the school and district level, Director of English Language Arts for grades 6-12 district-wide, and Assistant Principal and Middle School Director at the Eliot K-8 Innovation School. After retiring in 2018, Lydia has spent her time volunteering with the Boston Teacher Residency program run by Boston Plan for Excellence, supporting new teachers in adopting data-informed instruction for multilingual learners. She has a Master’s in Education from Lesley University and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership from Cambridge College.

Franklin Peralta, a BPS parent and Jamaica Plain resident, has dedicated his entire professional career to public education, particularly focusing on adult basic education, in Boston and in his native Dominican Republic. He currently serves as Director of Business Engagement and Public Policy at English for New Bostonians (ENB), where he oversees workplace and workforce English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) projects, including needs assessments for companies applying for funds to teach English to employees, and implementation of workplace English training. Prior to joining ENB, Franklin was Student Counselor at the Adult Learning Program of Jamaica Plain Community Centers, and a researcher and social educator at a cultural center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Franklin is actively engaged in his daughters’ schools, the Sarah Greenwood K-8 School and Boston Latin Academy, and is the elected representative for the Sarah Greenwood on the Citywide Parent Council. Franklin holds a Master’s degree in Qualitative Research in Education for Social Change from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo.

The School Committee is responsible for: Defining the vision, mission, and goals of the Boston Public Schools; Establishing and monitoring the annual operating budget; Hiring, managing, and evaluating the Superintendent; and Setting and reviewing district policies and practices to support student achievement.   The School Committee meets approximately twice per month during the school year to adopt, review and modify policies and practices that support teaching, learning and improved student achievement. With the exception of executive sessions, Committee meetings are open to the public, feature public comment periods and are broadcast on Boston City TV.