HOLYOKE — On Monday, August 19, Holyoke’s Local Control Subcommittee will present to the full School Committee and the public its plan that consists of trainings and professional development requirements in order to regain local control of Holyoke’s Public Schools.
Implementation of the capacity building plan will begin during the 2024-25 school year.
The presentation will be made at the Holyoke School Committee meeting at 6 p.m. in the Fifield Room at Dean High School. The presentation will be preceded at 5 p.m. by a meeting of the Local Control Subcommittee at which the plan will be finalized. Both meetings are open to the public.
Since March of 2024, the School Committee’s Local Control Subcommittee has been meeting regularly with Russell Johnston, Acting Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE); Mayor Joshua A. Garcia (who is also chair of the School Committee), and Receiver/Superintendent Anthony Soto to map out a plan to restore local control. All meetings with DESE to date were open to the public.
Holyoke’s schools were found to be underperforming and placed in state receivership in 2015. The public schools in Southbridge and Lawrence are also in receivership. Holyoke has sought to regain local control for several years.
The plan that will be aired August 19 addresses four major work streams of school district governance: Superintendent Evaluation, Superintendent Hiring, Finance and Budget, and Policy Development. The School Committee will seek out interested community stakeholders to participate on a Community Advisory Team.
The public may also participate via Zoom by clicking on the meeting link posted on the city’s website — Holyoke.org — under “calendar,” or by going to the Holyoke Public Schools website under “About Us” followed by “School Committee,” or by phone by calling (301) 715-8592 and then providing Meeting ID 852 6623 2176. No passcode is required.