Lawrence City Council Reverses Course to Support Mayor’s Power Grab Against the Will of the Voters
Lawrence community shocked that after two votes against, the City Council decides to move forward Mayor’s plan to upend school governance
After voting it down two times in the last five months, the Lawrence City Council voted last night to approve a home rule petition filed by Mayor Brian DePeña to change the make-up of the school committee – completely shifting the way Lawrence Public Schools (LPS) are governed and stripping the democratic rights away from residents across the City.
For months, Mayor DePeña has been trying to alter the makeup of the Lawrence School Committee by stacking it with Mayoral appointees and some elected members, all while maintaining his role as Chair. Each iteration of his plan would rob neighborhoods throughout the City of their democratic voice and has been met with strong opposition from the public.
“Last week, the same City Councilors voted against the Mayor’s attempts to overtake the school committee. Nothing has changed in that week – not the Mayor’s plan, not the strong opposition from the community – except for this stunning reversal from the Council,” said Lawrence Teachers’ Union President Kimberly Barry. “The City Council has heard from Lawrence teachers, families, and residents directly about how important it is that our schools be governed by those elected by the community, not Mayoral appointees. This power grab will not only cause long-lasting impacts to our schools but will set a dangerous precedent by turning back the clock on voting rights and representation.”
The Lawrence community has repeatedly voiced their concerns, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a democratic process where citizens have the freedom to vote for their school committee members in each district.
The Mayor and his supporters have tried to claim the changes are necessary in order for LPS to come out of state receivership. This claim is inaccurate – changing the make-up of the school committee is in no way a requirement to move the schools out of state receivership. In fact, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced on Tuesday that Holyoke Public Schools are in the process of beginning their provisional exit from state receivership, which they have been in since 2015. Leading up to yesterday’s announcement, DESE worked and is continuing to work with members of Holyoke’s democratically elected school committee and Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia in developing and implementing a plan to move out of receivership.
Once it was made public that the City Council planned a special meeting to discuss the Mayor’s home rule petition a third time earlier this week, a group of six labor organizations representing thousands of people living and working in Lawrence sent a letter to Councilors formally declaring their opposition to the proposed changes.
The letter – signed by the American Federation of Teachers – Massachusetts, the Lawrence Teachers’ Union, the Lawrence Federation of Paraprofessionals, the City of Lawrence Administrative Support Staff Association, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council – urged Councilors to continue to oppose additional attempts by the Mayor.
“While we were glad to see the latest proposal to change the governance of the Lawrence Public Schools was defeated, we are concerned there will be continued efforts to undermine the democratic process and the voices of Lawrence educators, parents, and community members. Any measures of this kind would strip the people of Lawrence of their democratic rights to have elected representation from each district,” read the letter.
“Unfortunately, third time’s the charm for Mayor DePeña in his attempts to strip the people of Lawrence of their right to a democratically-elected school committee,” continued Barry. “Now, it is up to our state leaders to step in and stop the Mayor’s power grab, which is a direct attack on voter rights and gravely threatens to undermine the voice of the community in critical decisions affecting our schools.”
The Lawrence Teachers’ Union, Local 1019, AFT Massachusetts, AFL-CIO, represents all teachers, registered nurses, long-term substitutes and building-based educators in the city’s public schools.
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