Elizabeth Hudson
2025 Candidate for Cambridge School Committee

Home address:
325 Harvard St.
Cambridge, MA 02139

Contact information:
email: elizabethclarkpolner@gmail.com
phone: 617-397-0589
website: www.cambridgeschoolcommittee.com
Instagram: instagram.com/clarkpolner

Send contributions to:

Hi – I’m Lizzie Hudson. Last cycle was the first time I ran, and for the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the Committee - and now I’m running for re-election.

What you’ll find here:

1. My background
2. The state of the District today
3. A list of what we promised last cycle, what we accomplished, and what we’ll do next
4. How I’m filling out my own ballot
5. Feedback from CPS faculty, staff, and parents on our new Superintendent

1. FIRST – A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME:

My husband and I moved to Cambridge for the schools (specifically, for the Mandarin Immersion Program, at MLK). We live on Harvard Street, and have three sons, and in a few weeks, a fourth child. I did my undergrad at Yale (’09) and then a PhD in neuroscience (building models to decode MRI data), and postdocs at UChicago and Yale Law School. I originally moved to Boston to work at an industrial robotics company (imagine turning a warehouse into a giant vending machine) and then became the CTO at a biotech venture capital firm downtown. Now I’m working on some new ideas. When I’m not at my day job, I’m an Intelligence Officer in the Navy Reserve (I support Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 8, in Newport, Rhode Island), and between 2018 and 2025, I served on the Advisory Board for the Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as well, over on Garden Street, raising money for science. And finally, for the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of working on the Cambridge School Committee.

2. NEXT – THE ISSUES:
Platitudes & Progressive Policies – But No PROGRESS.

Why you care about the schools – even if you don’ t have kids in school:

Our schools represent a third of Cambridge’s municipal budget ($285 of $991M). Whether you’ve got kids in school, or you’re watching your tax bill, or you want better or more services elsewhere, for yourself or your neighbors — you care how well our programs perform.

What’s happening this election cycle:

Last election, we talked about math: The district had removed Algebra from 8th grade in the name of equity, holding back kids who were ready, to cover for their failure to prepare the rest of the class for a course that’s standard across the U.S. (offered in more than 80% of districts). This past term, we reversed that mistake — Algebra is back — and we replaced the Superintendent under whom decisions like this were allowed to persist (with a great Interim leader). But that was just one example of a larger pattern.

For decades, we’ve ignored the basics. We don’t consistently hire and keep great leaders, and we don’t swiftly remove those who don’t meet the bar. We don’t get kids to school on time. We let classrooms descend into chaos — kids standing on desks, throwing laptops, hurting others — in which it’s hard to teach and impossible to learn. And we consistently promote students who haven’t yet mastered all the material for their current grade onto the next higher grade. And then we act surprised when there are vast differences in abilities that persist into the middle schools and high school. And then we paper over these differences in preparedness and ability with whatever the new trendy education policy is at the moment and call it closing the achievement gap.

For example: The District eliminated deadlines for homework and attendance requirements at the high school (a program called “Grading For Equity,” now partially reversed but entirely a bad idea). We axed advanced academic tracks in both middle and high school (not just math) and refuse students the materials necessary to work ahead (because that would mean they’re not “aligned” with their peers). The City went into debt to create middle schools (vs. the old K-8 schools) because someone told us it was the “thing to do” in education at the time, to close achievement gaps (it didn’t). And we tolerate faculty with race-based rules about who speaks first in class - to “disrupt entrenched power dynamics.” None of this stuff works. Half the kids were below grade level twenty years ago - and that same half is below grade level today. (By the way, kids are smart; they know this is theater.)

(Graph shows proportion of kids working at or above grade level, on the main state standardized test - the MCAS. Here for visual simplicity, I’ve averaged English, Math and Science scores, over all tested grades, 3-8, but for avoidance of doubt the pattern is the same, for every subject and for every grade.)

And you can’t say these programs don’t work because we didn’t fully invest in them. Indeed, we’ve doubled our school staff (the vast majority being educators, not administrators). To make that happen, we now spend $100M more every single year to operate the District, versus what we did 20 years ago — with no change in the number of students. (For avoidance of doubt, we spend little on things like software or consultants; 90% of our budget is employee payroll/benefits.) Our student to staff ratio went from 8:1 to 4:1 (the lowest in the nation) but teachers still report being swamped, and our test scores haven’t budged. We’ve got our eyes on the right problems, but we fail because we have the wrong solutions, and atrocious execution.

3. NOW – WHAT DID WE PROMISE LAST CYCLE, WHAT DID WE DELIVER, AND WHAT ARE WE PLANNING TO DO NEXT?

Let’s make this concrete – what did we accomplish last election cycle and what will we do next?

What we got done:

• We returned Algebra to 8th Grade (it had been removed “for equity” in 2017, but it’s back, starting this year, 2025)
• We replaced a failing Superintendent with a spectacular new Superintendent.
  • A short aside: The Committee leadership was categorically terrible at communication during the search process – to the public, and to the remainder of the Committee, and hired a comically inept search firm. This does NOT negate the quality of the two strong finalists with which we ended up – I’m thrilled with the person who we ultimately appointed - but it does speak to internal Committee problems, that must be addressed. The Mayor, as chair, wields enormous power over Committee operations, and we urge you to vote YES on the new City Charter, which would enable the Committee to elect its own chair (versus having it be the Mayor, by default).
• We removed cell phones during CRLS school day (bell to bell, starting fall 2025)
• We temporarily closed our least in-demand school – to revamp the programming & rehab the building – with it slated to reopen for the 2027-8 school year. (For context, ZERO incoming families had ranked it as their first-choice option in the last school choice lottery, and it had chronically the least chosen for a decade prior to that.)
  • This is one of the reasons I very much appreciate our new Superintendent – he had the guts to speak up about a problem that everyone’s whispered about for a decade, but took no action on – afraid of political repercussions - and then he DID something about it.
• We added seats to two of our most popular schools (MLK and Baldwin) which have been requested by many more families than we can accommodate, every single year, for almost a decade.
• We opened the new Tobin Montessori, in a new larger building (one of our most in-demand programs, and one of the only to demonstrate the ability - empirically - to lift up kids regardless of their family’s circumstances)
• We improved GPS tracking of buses (the only thing worse than being late is not knowing HOW late; it stresses kids out, causes them to miss learning time, and burdens parents who can’t afford to be late to work).
  • More to do here though…see below for next steps.
• • We rolled out free universal preschool. This initiative was years (and many Committees and City Councils) in the making, but the final roll out required a last-minute push on the nitty gritty logistical details that make any big operation work
• We required the District to establish an AI policy (students are already using it to complete coursework...). They are currently soliciting parent, educator and expert feedback, if you’re interested!

What we’ll do next:

First, start doing the basics! Recruit and retain great people; remove those who don’t meet the bar. Stop with the buzzwords, and just get kids what they need: If we expect kids to read by third grade, stop graduating them into fourth, fifth, sixth grade and beyond, when they haven’t yet mastered this skill. Get them to where they need to be - and then promote them. Similarly, if a kid’s working ahead – find a way to get them the coursework for which they’re ready. If you want to do geometry in middle school, let’s get you geometry. If we can put a man on the moon, we can do this.

Then in addition:

• Put a GREAT program into our largest campus - the former Kennedy Longfellow in East Cambridge (the one we temporarily closed for investment). Expand on what’s working elsewhere and add specialties we don’t yet have (STEM; Music; Art...). This is a great opportunity, and a decision that this next School Committee will make.
• In the same vein, further expand the existing programs parents rank highly in the school choice lottery - like our Montessori program (expand into middle school grades), and our language immersion programs. Parents tell us every single year what they want for their kids (in their lottery choices), and we don’t listen.
  • Parents know better than anyone that which is best for their kids, and those skills that their kids will need to succeed post-graduation. We should listen to them, instead of pontificating….
• Review every Assistant Superintendent, Principal, and all academic leadership. After the Superintendent, these are our most visible and important leaders. If you’re not great - you’re out. We’re running a school district, not a jobs program.
• Put our best leader in charge of the middle schools and let them loose. Our middle schools are rife with behavioral issues. And this is where we start to hold kids back, academically, because we failed to help their peers learn the basics in elementary school. Similarly – we should be asking high school faculty about the preparedness of their incoming students. We’re not doing well – especially in middle school – and everyone knows it, and everyone’s afraid of saying it, lest someone else be offended. Progress starts with recognizing that you have a problem. Surely we can find a way to be honest, with a constructive attitude.
• Find our spine and address the small number of faculty who really need to go. Everyone knows who they are - they generate (legit) complaints from parents repeatedly, year after year. Give them the benefit of real evaluations (including but not limited to their ability to improve their students’ academic achievement) and then, if there’s no improvement, make hard decisions. Again, we’re running a school district, not a jobs program.
• Give faculty more routes to relay information directly to the Superintendent. Too much gets lost in translation; mostly inadvertently, but sometimes by administrators looking to duck responsibility for their own decisions and hard conversations.
• Eliminate programs and positions that aren’t able to demonstrate a clear impact - even if they sound nice! - and use those resources to better compensate and support our best educators. It won’t be enough to make an enormous dent – but it’s a start. (We have 1747 employees; it costs a lot to make a noticeable dent in take-home pay. Ask anyone and everyone talking about compensation to do the cold hard math for you.)
• Get kids to school - and parents to work - on time. There’s only ONE bus vendor in the area (and they’re bad), but we also make the job harder than it needs to be. We can add vehicles (we run 39 buses today for general education, plus the special education vehicles; adding is just a question of cost), simplify the routes (by reducing the number of different start times at different schools; we have three tiers of start times that buses serve, and they don’t have enough time between them), and improve everyone’s day. You can’t fret about the achievement gap if you don’t bother to make sure kids aren’t missing class time.
• Do a tip-to-tail review of our technical and vocational programs. Technical programs teach valuable skills, no matter a student’s next step (job market or post-secondary education). We need to ensure that ours are focused on the most economically valuable and attractive skills, that they’re effective (students are thriving, post-graduation, and not having to do remedial work), and that they’re advertised to ALL students.

4. POSTSCRIPT: HERE’S HOW I’M FILLING OUT MY OWN BALLOT

• Eugenia Schraa Huh: Eugenia’s humble, so she won’t put it this bluntly – but she is one of the few who is brave enough to say that what we’re doing today isn’t working. She did her undergrad at Harvard and began her career teaching English and History in a Bronx public high school. She then went to law school, during which she worked on education programs at Rikers Island. As a parent here in Cambridge, she identified afterschool programs as an area of need (most of our elementary schools get out at 2:30pm, but very few jobs end that early!) – and she advocated for expansion, ultimately adding 170 new seats to the City-run afterschool offerings (which are also the most affordable). She also identified teacher pay as a limiting factor in afterschool program size, and successfully got wages raised along the way. (Everyone talks about “wrap around services” being important – she actually changed them. She shows that not having been elected yet isn’t a limiting factor.) More recently, as Director of Constituent Services under the Cambridge Mayor, she’s tackled a diverse range of issues, with a focus on the needs of homeless families.
• Richard Harding: This guy is fearless. He’s the only person on the current Committee, and of the current candidates, to say exactly what he means (and mean what he says) notwithstanding the political consequences. There are a hundred things that are true, that people are afraid to say, and he’s simply not someone who takes this fear of repercussions into account; he’s focused on kids, and kids alone. He has supported a greater focus on administrator and teacher evaluations (important, if we’re going to improve our classroom instruction), additional options for advanced learning (important, because kids working at or above grade level aren’t supported well today), and a focus on behavioral issues in the classroom (which detract from learning time today).
• David Weinstein: He’s also reliably supported every advanced learning initiative to come before the Committee and helped to spearhead new policies on this front that were missing. (Eugenia, Richard and David are all endorsed by the Cambridge Advanced Learning Association, along with me.) Along with Richard and I, he’s helped to hire a fantastic new Superintendent.
• Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal: I very much appreciate his support for our new Superintendent, his focus on our District infrastructure, and his interest in and focus on the need to establish a District AI policy (which we needed yesterday). I also deeply appreciate his support for our language immersion programs; these are amongst our most popular and performant programs.
• Anne Coburn: There are people who talk, and people who do the work before they talk. Anne is the latter. She’s indefatigable. If you want someone who will blindly parrot the ideological party line (no matter your ideology) – this isn’t her. If you want someone who will read the research, read the policy, talk to people on the ground, and THEN weigh in – this is your girl.

5. POST-POST-SCRIPT: FEEDBACK ON OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENT FROM FACULTY, STAFF, & PARENTS

For those who are interested in our new Superintendent, below are a selection of excerpts from emails I received from faculty, staff and parents about our newly-permanently-hired Superintendent (edited for anonymity) during the search process. At the end of the day, these are the voices that inform my decision-making.

From a CPS Principal: Superintendent Murphy is strategic and goal-oriented: He consistently sets clear, measurable goals and takes decisive action based on data to drive improvement across the district. He has made very challenging decisions in a short period of time – decisions that previous superintendents have avoided (e.g., KLO). [He is a] relationship builder: He develops strong, respectful relationships with all staff members, regardless of role, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration. He is the most visible superintendent I have ever worked for – regularly visiting school buildings and engaging with everyone he meets. Paraprofessionals at [my school] have specifically noted how personable and genuinely interested he is when interacting with them during visits. [He is a] supportive & responsive leader: He provides school leaders with the resources and guidance they need to succeed while granting them the autonomy to make site-based decisions. He is also responsive to feedback. This year, he revamped the professional development provided by the district, streamlining its focus, offering targeted resources, and trusting leaders to implement the work in ways that best fit their school communities…[He is] efficient and streamlined: Has successfully streamlined district operations to improve effectiveness and reduce redundancies. As the former Chief Operating Officer, this is second nature to him. He has single-handedly created systems and structures that allow building leaders to spend less time on tasks that take them away from instructional leadership. An example of this work can be seen in the restructuring of the Human Resources Office: building leaders now have a dedicated Human Resources partner assigned to support them with hiring and other personnel matters. [He is a] strong communicator: He has strengthened internal and external communication to keep staff, families, and the community informed and engaged. He is also the most approachable and responsive superintendent I have ever worked with. If I need to speak with him, he makes himself available. His “principal memos” provide us building leaders with important information that helps build and maintain consistency from building to building and fosters collaboration between schools. [He is a] motivational presence & accountability driven: He holds individuals and teams accountable for results while maintaining a supportive and professional presence. More importantly, he inspires staff, including myself, to work harder by modeling determination, a strong work ethic, and a clear sense of purpose – all delivered with humor and approachability.

From another CPS Principal: As a principal in Cambridge…I have a comprehensive understanding of our district's needs. I am also a Cambridge parent.... I believe David Murphy is exceptionally qualified to be our next superintendent for several key reasons: First, he possesses a profound understanding of systems, operations, and legal frameworks, which are critical areas needing strengthening within our district. From my perspective, principals often require quick and clear guidance in these areas from a leadership team that has built relationships, can actively listen, and can comprehend the real-world impact of decisions on schools. David has consistently demonstrated this capability. For instance, while school bus operations have been a significant challenge, his vigorous and precise approach has led to marked improvements - changes I have not witnessed in my [many] years here. Although these improvements may not always be visible externally, specific routes at my school serving less vocal families have seen improvements directly due to my input, which I see as equity in action. Second, regarding concerns about his instructional background… it is true he does not have a robust traditional school leadership or teaching background. However, he has gained extensive knowledge of instructional practices, from the broad picture to the fine details, through his years within school systems. More importantly, he understands the necessity of consulting advisors skilled in evidence-based approaches and frequently consults with principals – a level of engagement I have rarely experienced previously. This collaboration ensures principals receive the support they need, directly translating into student needs being prioritized at individual schools. Finally, Interim Superintendent Murphy is deeply committed to fostering higher professional standards within CPSD. While improving professional culture is a gradual process, David actively supports this work through human resource avenues when difficult decisions are necessary, and by prioritizing professional learning, professional culture, and genuine collaboration. Many may highlight consistency as a unique qualification for David, but for me, that essential piece of information is not the most important quality he brings. I would not advocate for consistency at the expense of the highest quality of leadership. David recognizes that as a district investing so much in each student, we should be leaders in both practice and outcomes. As a parent and a principal, I have long awaited someone who can boldly articulate this vision and hold themselves accountable. We also need a leader capable of standing firm with demanding parents, partners, and community members who sometimes make demands without a complete understanding of the larger picture or with goals that are not totally aligned with our core mission.

From another CPS Principal: …I am eager to have someone lead our district who is systems-oriented and has proven evidence of developing, monitoring and refining systems across a complex ecosystem. We have made great strides in moving from the “district of schools” to “school district” orientation over the … years I’ve been here, and part of that I personally attribute to the refinement, evaluation, and development of systems that connect us and align us. We need a leader who will continue to have an eye for continued improvement in this area, and maintenance around what's currently working well. I’ve seen Mr. Murphy develop and refine many systems both in his time as a COO and in his current capacity - I would say this is an obvious strength of his. This was most recently shown when he developed stronger communication streams re: bus timing (something that’s markedly improved since the start of the year). I’ve also seen strong systems-orientation from his direct supervisees - through the creation of PLCs for principals, through rethinking the structure of the HR workstreams, through different ICTS protocols, and more. He also has his eye on future systems to refine that will greatly benefit from his attention. Second, I am eager to have someone lead our district who will stay laser-focused on our north stars and key priorities - and who is comfortable partnering with and pushing stakeholders in doing the same. It’s sometimes easiest to go with the “loudest” voice when setting goals and priorities, and I want a leader who can follow data in making decisions, who can use that data to set clear goals that we return back to, and who can motivate our school teams in working towards those goals as well. I’ve seen Mr. Murphy set a focused goal and prioritize the work around a goal through the district's work on educator effectiveness - school leaders all knew this was a priority, we saw the data that reflected this need (and how we may/may not have contributed to it), and we were able to see and reflect on our progress towards the goals set. It was a goal that felt relevant and meaningful to all of us, and connected to student learning experiences. We also engaged in professional learning that allowed for us to grow in this area, ensuring we'd be supported in making progress. Last, I am eager to have someone lead our district who has an authentic and present leadership style. We do hard work every day, and the purpose of our work is so critical and important, and we need to feel and know that our leader is right there with us, ready to grapple with the complicated issues and ready to highlight for us what’s working amidst the challenges that we should sustain. From my personal experience, Mr. Murphy continues to be an accessible, grounded, genuine leader. He is willing to pick up the phone for a consult, regularly checks in, is available and responsive for urgent needs, and makes an effort to be on-the-ground. I am comfortable being vulnerable and asking him for help and advice, which I’ve had to do on numerous occasions, and deeply benefited from his perspective, direct communication, and feedback. He is consistent in how he shows up, often pushing for clarity and urgency in his interactions with us while also appropriately dropping in some humor (which is important in this work).

From two CPS educators: We’re writing as educators in the district for 20+ years each and current CPS parents to strongly support Interim Superintendent Murphy’s candidacy for permanent Superintendent of the Cambridge Public Schools. Mr. Murphy has distinguished himself with his willingness to make bold decisions based on what is best for students and the district as a whole, while seeking out the wisdom and knowledge of others, particularly in areas that are not his expertise. Cambridge Public Schools has been in a state of upheaval and instability since prior to the onset of the pandemic. During this time we’ve experienced dramatic changes in leadership, changes in curriculum and programming, changes in teaching and learning in the context of a global health crisis and the resulting aftermath, and overall low morale throughout the district. Following Mr. Murphy’s arrival as COO, our district began to feel like we were getting some footing. We know that that change is not due entirely to Mr. Murphy, however, we do believe that his leadership is a significant component of it. Perhaps Mr. Murphy’s greatest strength is his ability to see the district as one large entity. He made a bold choice with the closing of the K-Lo, a school that had been in crisis for many years (since before either of us were educators at the school in the 2000s). And though that was a painful decision to have to make, he and the CPS team did so with tremendous respect for that community: sending students off in cohorts, giving preference in transfers to maintain an element of family choice, and compensating educators for extra time to promote a smooth transition. This level of care demonstrates that Mr. Murphy is not simply making drastic changes and leaving others to deal with the consequences. Another example of Mr. Murphy’s ability to see the interconnectedness of the entire system is his response to Tobin families regarding adding a 6th grade to the Montessori program. While he recognized that adding a 6th grade would be a beneficial choice for that one community, he also saw the potential for dramatic negative impact on the system as a whole…Mr. Murphy is simultaneously willing to make hard choices to solve decades-long problems and is determined not to inadvertently cause those problems by looking at and making decisions about any one school community in isolation. Mr. Murphy’s clear strength is big picture system thinking, and he pairs that with genuinely listening to and acting upon the expertise of others in areas that are not his particular strength. Under Mr. Murphy’s leadership, for example, our district has made more significant changes to be more welcoming and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community than in our collective memory. He has not led the charge in that area, however, he has been incredibly receptive to feedback and ideas from that community and in response has enacted concrete changes. Mr. Murphy clearly cares about academic outcomes for students and does not deviate from his message that the goal of the Cambridge Public Schools is to provide a high quality education and strong outcomes for every child. He also sees the importance of preparing students to be meaningful participants in a democratic society beyond test scores. Last year, he invested heavily in and elevated the work of the Cambridge 8th Grade Civics Showcase where over 400 8th graders presented student-led civics projects at the State House; he has since committed to funding that experience so that all 8th graders moving forward can fully access that opportunity. As educators who have been in the district for decades, we have noticed a distinct pattern that people who have come from outside the district on every level – from classroom teacher to superintendent–often struggle to acclimate to Cambridge’s particularities. The strategies and approaches that have been successful for them in other contexts frequently fall flat in Cambridge. While we know that there are drawbacks to every leader, our experience with Mr. Murphy over the past three years tells us that he has a commitment to our community and an understanding of the challenges and complexities that we face. He is ready to hit the ground running and continue to push our district in the direction it needs to go to ensure that every student receives the high quality education they deserve. We hope you will grant us the opportunity to continue to serve under his leadership and for our children to continue to experience the stability of the system.

From another CPS educator: Over my 33 year career there have been seven superintendents here in Cambridge. Doesn't develop continuity or stability. [David Murphy, the current Superintendent] is one of the smartest people I've ever interacted with in this district. I've negotiated contracts for 22 of my 33 years. He shows up and actually negotiates and problem solves. People actually/generally like him. Is changing the overall atmosphere and relationships with teachers/paras and other personnel by establishing relationships. Has a vision for the district that is centered around the students and has the abilities to be able to implement them because of these relationships. Can make tough decisions like he did with K-Lo and people that I have talked to, who worked at K-Lo, understand and respect the decision. The district is in the best position to move forward for success with him as the super. Is not undoing previous initiatives but is will to build on some of them instead of just tossing them. It would be a disservice to all members of the academic community if he was not named superintendent permanently.

From a CPS staff member: As a former parent whose son started kindergarten at [school] and graduated from CRLS, and as an employee of CPS since [year], I unequivocally state that no Superintendent has ever accomplished - in their entire tenure - the breadth and depth of Dave’s accomplishments in just over one year. Indeed, Dr. Young implemented the Innovation Agenda and Dr. Salim shepherded us all through Covid; however, when I consider accomplishments, I do not just mean the quantitative challenges. CPS is a complex district and no Superintendent, other than Dave, has ever fully grasped the interconnectedness of the operational challenges of Controlled Choice with the inability for us to move forward as a District in improving educational outcomes and ensuring true equitable access to high-performing schools and all schools. Dave’s capacity to master both worlds - operations and academics - has never been matched and may never be matched again. No-one has truly and fully understood the intricacies of how Policies affect access. …[No] Superintendent - in my personal opinion - understood how the District’s infrastructure impacts outcomes. Dave embodies the best of a COO and a Superintendent for CPS: He immediately understood that both worlds could not remain siloed and he acted bravely and compassionately throughout the closure of KLO. And he expanded access to MLK and Baldwin and Morse and Peabody. And he initiated changes to the waitlist and transfer Policies. And each of those actions has profoundly changed the ability of new-to-CPS families to be assigned to a school of choice and for fewer new-to-CPS families to be mandatorily assigned in grades K-5.…A different Superintendent would not be able to master the complexity of CPS in one year: Only Dave has done this in the past 24 years and I have no reason to believe another person can repeat his feat. I watch your meetings all the time, and when you spoke during his summative evaluation meeting on June 24, 2025, I thought: “How can they not hire him now? Who receives such a wonderful evaluation and then is not hired permanently?” It’s been bizarre and puzzling, I must admit, to watch this search process unfold, as I believe the person you and we need is the person you yourselves praised so highly almost exactly three months to the day…There are so many reasons to hire Dave and I could write so many examples of behind-the-scenes acts of profound kindness and compassion and brilliance. This is one example: After your vote to close KLO, Dave convened a large group of staff and we all were asked to keep the children and the families at the heart of the work we needed to do. We formed smaller groups and the one in which I participated focused on the children’s reassignments to schools…Through it all, as hard as it was, it was also one of the most beautiful experiences in CPS, for me, because what guided us were Dave’s words to keep the children and families as our priorities, and the practical teamwork to accomplish tasks was intertwined with deeply felt compassion and love. That compassion, empathy, deep commitment to children and families and, yes, love for our colleagues and families came directly from Dave’s leadership. Dave grounds all work in such a kind, compassionate, and thoughtful devotion to children, and, yes, if children are not the focus then what are we doing; however, Dave doesn’t just state this, he deeply feels it and, as a result, I believe, he changes the culture of CPS from one that was supposed to be about children when it was more about the adults - parents, caregivers, and staff (usually the loudest) to one that is actually about the children. Dave provides stability, continuity and change…Dave is rare as a human being possessing and mastering so many competencies in one brain and heart. Dave provides the space for authenticity, honesty, empathy, compassion, all while expecting the best from us. Dave does not expect any more from his staff than he expects from himself, except that he does encourage us to always take care of ourselves and prioritize our health. Working for and with Dave is a gift and he is a gift to CPS. Dave's steady, confident leadership, trust, directness, honesty and integrity enable me to feel less anxious about my responsibilities and more relaxed internally. His insight, wisdom, patience, kindness and trust enable me to feel confident about my work and to know that when I make a mistake or face a challenge, he appreciates that I am trying hard to do my best. He teaches me so much and I feel incredibly fortunate to work for him.

You can reach me @ 617-397-0589 (text or call)

CCTV candidate video (2023)